ShinRa Breeding Program
by LovelessxHarlequin
Summary: What if the SOLDIER program had been recruiting women? What if Tifa joined instead of Cloud? "It has been said something as small as the flutter of a butterfly's wing can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway around the world."
1. Chapter 1

Finally, a new fic for me. I love Tifa fics and if I can toss Sephiroth in them ;) So the idea is, SOLDIER is recruiting women, they never give a public reason why but its for their secret Breeding Program. They intended to find the strongest, most fertile women to breed with Sephiroth in order to make an efficient army of super-SOLDIERS. World domination is always on the agenda as we all know. We'll follow through the program through the perspectives of Tifa, Sephiroth, and Hojo (I know a Hojo point of view, how wild!) Anywho, we start out in Nibelheim with the scene where Tifa and Cloud make a promise; but, instead of Cloud promising to save Tifa when he becomes a hero, it's Tifa making a promise to never forget where she came from. Yes, Tifa has been selected for the breeder program (duh!)

Anywho, this is just the starter, I'll have more up later tonight. And perhaps I'll get to my Prayer of Vengeance fic... I'm all about Seph/Ti fics, esp. when they might be having kids. :)

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"I always wanted to be your hero, but I guess that'll be you now," he muttered leaning away from her. The back of his head hit against the rough wood of the water tower. Ever since he recognize the world around him Cloud Strife had one goal in life; to become the next Sephiroth. The young blond was enamored with the great General. Never once had he seen the silver haired military commander, but the world knew of his greatness; how he was taking the world in the name of the Shin-Ra Electric Power Company (has anyone seen the parallels with this game and Tank Girl? There aren't many but they're there). Now his best friend was going to take his place in that fantasy. The SOLDIER program had stopped recruiting men and had now turned their focus to women. This first generation of female SOLDIERs would fight just as well as the men, but they would also be able to bear the next generation at a portion of the cost. The general public had no idea that breeding was the true intention behind this shift in Shin-Ra's gears, but they accepted that Shin-Ra would take care of them.

"Promise you won't forget us," Cloud said, trying to be happy for his childhood friend.

"Cloud, how could you say something like that," Tifa replied smiling back. She had known that it was Cloud's dream to join up and become a SOLDIER, but she had secretly desired the same thing. For their short lives she had listened to his hopes of being one of the great ones, never once had she interjected her one thoughts. Now was her time to shine, her time to go be one of the great ones.

"I'm serious, you're going to be famous. Promise me you won't forget us small town people... that you won't forget me."

"Okay, I promise," she cheered pulling Cloud into a tight embrace. "I'll never forget you."

"Pinky promise?" he asked sheepishly holding out his pinky. Tifa could not help but smile at her goofy/awkward best friend as she grabbed his pinky with her own.

"Sealed with a kiss," she said bringing her lips to her fist. Cloud followed suit. The next morning, Tifa was whisked away, carried by the currents of Fate to the ocean of Destiny.


	2. Chapter 2

And here we are! I should have made this more of a Hojo/Tifa fic... but I'm not sure yet. Seph will come along soon, so all you Seph/Ti fans won't be disappointed. Hrm, I seem to have this fixation with Tifa having Sephiroth's children... I just feel like they would be awesome and twisted children. Anyway, I'm working on the next part now! Comments and reviews!

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"Subject 0128, is responding better than the rest," muttered a greasy haired scientist as he poured over sheets and sheets of carefully recorded data. His discerning eye did not miss any foul numbers or results, only the best would advance through the Shin-Ra SOLDIER breeding program. The program had started conceptually before Sephiroth's birth. Lucresia, Gast, and Hojo together had tried to imagine just what they had created in Lucresia womb and, if it were a success, how they could create more with only the limited amount of genetic material they could harvest from the creature, Jenova. Attempts to grow Jenova cells in a controlled laboratory setting had failed, but the cells flourished when given a living host.

"We'll just have to increase her radiation therapy and see how she responds," grumbled Hojo while furiously scribbling. Of the three who had begun this project, he was the only one left. Lurcresia had died during childbirth. That was no great loss to him, she was the most brilliant of women, only a vessel for carrying Sephiroth. Gast had died; now he alone carried the torch of the Jenova project. He would see it out, to whatever finish the project would take. With his super soldiers and breeders, Shin-Ra would dominate the world.

"Any breakthroughs to report, Professor," asked a male voice from somewhere behind Hojo. An anonymous Turk had been sent to gain a daily report. Of course any interruption to his life's work was a great travesty to the mad scientist. He did not need daily reminders that progress was not moving as fast as he wished it to. Three years had passed and the only change was that a number of his specimen had died. Most people were not meant to endure the high levels of Mako exposure that he was subjecting these female specimen to. They had endured nearly four times what was given to those in the male SOLDIER program. He knew he should not have rushed, but those who had survived were truly magnificent works for strength. The scientist adjusted his glasses and pushed a few pieces of stringy hair from his sweat drenched brow. His teeth grinded together in agitation.

"Don't you think if I had anything to report, I would have reported by now," he questioned seething. His breath came out in short puffs as he did his best to control his rage. How dare his ignorant superiors continue to interrupt his life's work. His merits as the world's greatest scientist rode on the success of this project. He had killed hundreds trying to achieve this, the creation of a god. A child who inherited the powers of Jenova from both Sephiroth and one of the female specimen would be near perfection. Months he had spent locked away in his laboratory, monitoring the female sujects, making sure their hormone levels remained boosted while the Mako continued to poison their bodies, making them stronger. Only those who survived the highest levels of exposure would be made to breed with Sephiroth.

"Just following orders," the Turk replied with a shrug. His nonchalant tone and physical gesture were lost on the madman. Without anything further to say the Turk disappeared through the door leaving the scientist to his own devices. The Turk would rather take a verbal lashing from his superiors than from Hojo; it was rumored that those who crossed him often ended up as his lab specimen.

Growing disgusted with the number of failures in the Breeding program, Hojo shoved the papers aside and rose from his desk. Bloodshot eyes scanned the dark room in which he had spent the last fourteen or more hours. Time did not matter to Hojo, he could not recall the last time he had been outside of his lab. Food was brought to him at regular intervals, not that he ever paused to eat it except when waiting for a piece of malfunctioning equipment. He had long since chased away all of the cleaning staff, so that what he had not eaten was left in rotting piles in corners. He was as much a prisoner of his work as his specimen were.

The foul stench that hung in cloud around the scientist followed him to another part of his lab where he kept his test subjects. Peering through the viewing holes he watched the females in various states of distress. Some huddled in corners crying themselves insane, others clawed and scratched at the walls and their own skin, a few begged for release. None impressed him except for Specimen 0128, rather than drive herself mad, she sat quietly in the center of her cell. He could tell that the radiation treatments were wearing at her body, breaking down weakness and replacing it with energy from the planet. As it had gone with the males of the SOLDIER program, she would be broken down to near death and the healed by the Mako, restored to something greater than she was.

Her determination to be the succeed was causing her to do just that. The rest disgusted him and would either be terminated or moved to other projects. Hojo did not see the humanity behind those iron doors, only the potential to be the greatest scientist to have ever lived. After coming to the cell that contained 0128 he could not bring himself to move on. Her hormone levels were affected only as much as expected, she appeared to still be fertile, her blood work tested as expected, her nutrition levels were well maintained, everything about her was near perfect.

He only saw Specimen 0128, not the woman behind the number, Tifa Lockheart had lost her identity when she arrived at the Shin-Ra laboratory. Her name and past had been taken from her, memories of her childhood had been recorded then suppressed. That cell had become her home for the past three years, pain her only companion. The samples that had been needed to be analyzed were all collected by machines. Three years without human contact, three years without a peaceful night of sleep. The only voice she had heard was the mechanical whir of the machines around her. Not that it mattered, Tifa knew she had a life outside of the walls that surrounded her, but she could not remember. She had a home somewhere out there but she could not remember were. The only piece of her past that had not been forcibly repressed were a few words. _"Promise me you won't forget us small town people... that you won't forget me." _Some voice in the back of her mind whispered those words in her fitful sleep, but there was no face to go with them. So she had been from a small town, but that was all that she knew.

"You can remember," she had cheered herself for three years. Tifa held on to that little bit of hope that she would succeed as a the first female SOLDIER and that she would regain all of her lost memories on that day. After three years of painful rest, she stood up and looked at the viewing window. Her eyes glowing an eerie red. She could not see out the window, but she could feel someone on the other side. Mako energy coursed through her veins.

With hands clenched in tight fists Tifa's body moved into a stance that she did not recall. It was as if her muscles knew what to do without her having to think about it. Martial Arts was something she had been taught from an early age, only the past three years had she not practiced daily. Her new resolve to succeed at whatever cost pushed her body further.

"Most excellent," muttered Hojo as he watched Specimen 0128. Apparently, while memories were repressed they were still in the body. This creature could fight and through all the pain that should have been riddling her body. 0128 was his oasis in the bleak desert of weakness. Bloodshot eyes widened with perverse excitement. Immediately he quit watching his prized specimen and returned to the main part of his lab. He picked up the phone that had a line directly to the president.

"Terminate all specimens in the Breeding program except for 0128, it is ready for the advanced stages," he commanded President Shinra.

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**I've never written or even really thought as Hojo would, but being a bit crazy and a physics major may put me on some level approaching his (yea.. right). I know what its like to obsess over one successful piece of work to the point where you actually start to fall in love, or what appears to be love, with it.

Let me know what you think! (I know grammar, spelling, etc are all terrible)


	3. Chapter 3

And here we are. Oh I totally forgot my disclaimer (though I'm sure you all know it by now) own nothing, nor do I make any money from my fics. Square/Soft/Enix owns all characters, locales, etc.

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"Why are we here," commanded a bored and agitated Sephiroth. He abhorred meetings as much as he loathed paperwork, trading one in for the other was not an improvement in his eyes. He had spent the past few days at his desk writing up reports for the condition of the Mako reactors in Gongaga. There had been little to investigate, the reactor had melted down due to improper maintenance. While Shin-Ra employed locals to watch over the reactor, it was still their property and responsibility to make sure they ran efficiently and properly. The higher-ups of the company had suspected the villagers for sabotage, but that had not been the case. It had hardly been an issue that required the time of the renowned General Sephiroth, but he had been sent for PR reasons that he cared not to think about. There were still rebel groups in Wutai that required his presence, but here he was playing errand boy to the corporation that was taking over the world.

"Just a moment," replied Hojo sifting through his mountain of paperwork. He was ordered and meticulous when it came to running his experiments and collecting data, but to have his gather all of that data and present it in a coherent fashion was asking too much of that madman. Those beady black eyes glanced up and at the silver haired general across from him. Sephiroth was thus far his greatest work, but would be out shined in a few short years. Specimen 0128 was evolving rapidly. He had increased the radiation exposure to levels that were near what Sephiroth took. Once her body began to accept the Mako energy willingly, he would move on to the next stage and inject her with Jenova's cells. While the specimen was near maturity, it's body would still continue through its later formative years with Jenova's cells growing inside of it.

To have two Sephiroth's, one male and one female, was more than he thought that he would ever accomplish. Sephiroth was a beautiful creation. True, the General had be conceived of two human parents, but he had been able to reach him as a fetues soon enough to remedy that issue.

"We don't have all day, old man," Sephiroth barked at him.

"Of all the specimen that were collected for the Breeding program, only one has reach a far enough stage to be useful to us," Hojo began, pushing his thick glasses and slimy hair. The mad had still not showered or changed his lab coat. Food and other grimy stains decorated the once white material.

"We know this, we've wasted billions of gil scrapping the rest of your test subjects," snorted Heidegger.

"Gil that would've been better spent in the weapons program," continued Scarlet. "We've got plans for a beautiful new Mako canon already drawn up."

"Silence morons," Sephiroth demanded. The last thing he wanted was to hear the fat man and red clad horse ramble on about the new toys they were building. He fought war the old fashioned way, with a sword and armlet full of materia. He had never faced defeat, while the weapons developers' pieces of junk were constantly defeated in training sessions with 1st class SOLDIERs. That raven haired, blue eyed child, had even been able to defeat the prototype of something called the Proud Clod or Prod Cow... it did not matter to him, just as long as his soldiers remained well funded.

"Continue Professor," sighed President Shinra, he knew he would have to hear from Heidegger and Scarlet later. The two were always rambling on about something not important. Hojo looked from the president to the general with a small, nervous nod. Sephiroth seemed to always be at his defense at these meetings. No doubt, the silver haired general was grateful to Hojo. How else would have ascended the ranks of the SOLDIER program so quickly? Without Hojo's careful watch over the levels or radiation and diligent monitoring of his vitals for weeks at a time, Sephiroth would have ended much like the other failed specimen that were buried just outside Midgar.

"Release 0128 and train it with the rest of SOLDIER, once it fully recovers I'll finish it's breeding preparation. The specimen should be ready to mate within the year," Hojo continued.

"0128, what is that?" asked Reeve. He had no idea why he had been brought into this meeting. This new program had nothing to do with him or his department.

"Test Specimen 0128, Tifa Lockheart, age 15, from Nibelheim," Sephiroth read from the page.

"Shiva, she's only 15, how the hell do you plan on impregnating her," challenged Scarlet. "Rape?"

"Specimen 0128 is perfectly fertile, that was not affected much by the Mako radiation therapy. All other hormone levels are normalizing," Hojo replied. "There is too much error to be had in the process of physical copulation, I'll handle the samples and fertilize them. They'll be set to mature in the incubation tanks I've built."

"You're growing babies in test tubes Gyaa-haa-haa! That's sick, besides I wouldn't mind taking my shot at fertilizing this little specimen," laughed Heidegger staring at the picture of Tifa. The picture was not meant to be provocative, Hojo had just taken an image from the security camera at random to add to his report. Tifa had been sitting with her back to her bed. Head leaned back, knees bent up, hair covering most of her nude body. Hojo did not understand the appeal the picture had, especially for a depraved pervert such as Heidegger.

"You're both disgusting, she's a child" rumbled Sephiroth rising to leave. He wanted to more to do with this meeting and the barbaric nature of his employers. He was not a compassionate person by nature and could stomach all of the painful treatment the girl received, being that he received the same at a much younger age. He would not tolerate jokes at the rape of a woman who could not defend herself. Hojo's fertilization plan was fine, it caused to harm. He would not have the girl, who was to be released into his military, mental damaged by a forced encounter with the fat man.

"General, I need you in my laboratory later today. There are a number of tests I would like to run," Hojo shouted, stopping Sephiroth at the door. The only response the scientist received was a curt nod as the silver hair slithered out the door.

"What'ya say Professor," continued Heidegger, much to the annoyance and chagrin of Hojo. The scientist would not tolerate any tampering with his specimen, especially when his life's work was riding on its success. The only response Hojo could give to Heidegger was a sharp snarl. When he collected all of the egg samples he needed from 0128 the fat man could do what he wished with it, when a specimen stopped being useful he was better off terminated or put to more useful work. Either way it needed to be cleared out of his lab.

"I'm not finished with it yet," the professor hissed.

"Ah so you're saving this one for yourself, Gyha-haa-haa-haa. Tasty little morsel to, well when you're done with her don't terminate her. I'll take her from you, I know she'll continue to be of service to me, Gyha-haa-haa."

The meeting was over, leaving Hojo in a terrible mood. Specimen 0128 was his property and he would not have Heidegger trying to sully all of his work. 0128 was to remain in perfect condition, it's only stress and pain coming from laboratory tests and SOLDIER training.

"Soon, you'll be perfect," he cooed looking into her cell again. Specimen 0128 and Sephiroth were his children, his perfect children. Soon he would be a grandfather, he would have perfect little soldiers running around, the product of years of his work. A smile danced across his lips as he watched Tifa, admiring the beauty of her strength and determination to be all that he wished her to be.

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Heidegger is one sick puppy. I may have to change the rating. In case you thought it might be, this is not going to be a fluffy little fic, I don't think that's possible when you put Hojo in a fic. Anywho, tell me what you think. I've had to toy with ages just a bit here. We'll say Sephiroth is about 20 and Tifa is 15. We'll fast forward three more years through her Shinra training and put her at 18 (US age of consent, so I won't get in trouble... though I can't promise what'll happen with the Shinra perverts). If you can't handle it, stop reading now. This is your warning.

Comments, reviews, cookies. (Oreos did help me get through this )


	4. Chapter 4

Some progress. I really should have put this under a Tifa/Hojo title, but in a few chapters his role may diminish some. I'll figure it out as I write. Thanks Phantom Sephiroth, tristar3149, HazzaTL3, and all the rest.

As usual, I own nothing and make nothing (except for kudos from readers like you)

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"Y-yo-you," stammered a confused Tifa Lockheart. It had been almost three years since she had seen the outside of her cell or another living being. All she had known was the pain of Mako radiation therapy and the whir of machines. Every so often there would be a tinny voice through a machine, giving her directions. Time was something that Specimen 0128 had no concept of any longer, it had ceased to exist. Now for the first time in years, the door that had long since been locked was opened. Bright red eyes stared up into the space that had been created. A frail figured filled that void.

"Yes, my precious creature," muttered a distracted professor Hojo. His rotting teeth grinned maniacally down at her from her spot on the floor. Any who knew the professor would have said that it was a loving smile, one should have been reserved to between lovers. Hojo did love 0128, she was his first personal success. Sephiroth had come first but that was the product of Lucresia, Gast, and himself; but this creature, this creature was all his own making. He had spent the past few months making sure that she was perfect. He had given her 'toys' to train with, the unsuppressed martial arts memories had improved. "You are the only one who made it. You're ready to continue on with the program."

"S-s-s-SOLD-IE-Rrr," she stuttered. Life returned to the dull eyes, her last memory was that of wanting to become a member of SOLDIER. That dream would finally become a reality, she would join the ranks of SOLDIER. Her mouth tried to relearn a speech pattern but years of no use, had handicapped her. That could all be overcome with practice.

"Yes, little creature, yes," he muttered watching her. Years spent without seeing another human might have taken a toll on her mind. All brain activity seemed normal, but there was always that unpredictable human element that Hojo hated so much. It had what been that caused all his other specimen to fail and been a waste of time. "Come," he beckoned holding his hand out to her. Hojo abhorred physical contact with other living creatures. It was the reason he used machines to administer all of his tests. Once, some time ago, he had lab assistants but they had all been chased away. The only other specimen he had touched was Sephiroth. Now, he would lead his first success, by the hand, out into the world.

"S-s-s-SOLDIER," Tifa said again, still marveling at her dream come true. Tifa rose from her cot and moved with sure steps that did not match her voice to the mad scientist. A smile blossomed on her face to match his. A radiant flashing to teeth that showed relief and gratitude. Their smiles matched each other, lovers united at last. The door that kept them apart had been thrown open. "N-no m-m-more p-p-p-p-pain?"

"There will be more pain, it's unavoidable," Hojo chattered on. It was easy for him to speak to his test subjects, easier than speaking with real people. "You're the only one who made it, you're very important to me. Here," he reached out and grabbed a clean lab coat. It was the only clean one around, all the others held his stench. He rapped Tifa in the long coat and dragged her out of his lab. He had quarters arranged for her, but first he would walk her around, making sure she knew the way there and to his lab.

"This is my lab," he continued gesturing around them. He led her to the door and outside. Bright light assaulted her sensitive eyes as she was led through the halls of the Shin-Ra building. Tifa had seen these halls before, but that all seemed so long ago. Wide eyed stares greeted her as she followed Hojo around. He explained a few of the places they walked through, but not many, only the important ones.

"S-s-sh-shin-r-r-ra," she stammered.

"Don't worry about them, they aren't important. You have bigger and better things to be concerned with. You're the future of science and SOLDIER." At the mention of SOLDIER program Tifa's face brightened up further.

"Whoa, prof who is this beautiful woman yo," called the voice of a junior Turk as the red headed man fell in step with Hojo and Tifa. "How'd you get a babe like this?" (Of course, I couldn't just leave Reno out of this) Hojo's response was an angry hiss at the Turk, how dare the slime bother him with his prize. "Okay, okay I get it. But sharing is caring yo," Reno said while being pulled away by a tall bald man. (Can't leave Rude out of this either)

"W-who-"

"No one important," Hojo interrupted. "Now we have to go eat, you're going to meet someone who is important." A lunch had been planned in order for Hojo to introduce his creature to the higher ranking Shin-ra officials. Sephiroth would be in attendance; it was Hojo's chance to see 0128 and Sephiroth together.

"If only this one would have been one of the failures," muttered Heidegger, practically drooling over the fifteen year old Tifa.

"Specimen 0128 has been the only successful candidate in the female, Soldier Breeding program..." Hojo's voice droned on, reading from a script that he had written. Public speaking was not one of his strong suits. Every now and that his eyes would dart to Tifa, who stood before the room at his side. Her eyes were all for Sephiroth. She was mesmerized by the large, silver haired general, as anyone would have been. All she had wanted was to stand and fight at his side, to become a household icon as he had. Those desires were forgotten, but still she was fascinated by him. Sephiroth spared a few glances at her, but was busy reading Hojo's report. The sooner her had all of the information that was available, the sooner he could leave the meeting.

"You haven't started the injections of Jenova cells?" asked Sephiroth when he finished reading the report. "This specimen is hardly ready for anything yet. When do you expect to introduce it to the training program?" Tifa hung on every word that came from Sephiroth's mouth, she adjusted her posture to be like his and even set her facial features to match his.

"That will all follow according to plan, while her training is going on," Hojo answered with a sick smile.

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A bit shorter than I planned, but I ran out of ideas and oreos. I'm going to try to hammer out another chapter before I go to bed.

So how do we feel about Hojo, he's almost in love with Tifa, but that's because she's his prize specimen... until he gets his grandchildren. I might continue on with the Nibelheim event, but who knows.


	5. Chapter 5

So here is the real chapter 5, written after I finished what used to be chapter 5. So two chapters in 1 night and all without the help of oreos hahaha.

This chapter gets pretty dark and perverse, but I still wanted to keep it short. Poor Tifa.

I work for comments, reviews, favs, etc... but don't make any real money off of this and as usual Square owns the world :)

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"This is the one that I told you about," stated the portly Heidegger. "She'd fetch high prices and that's just from me alone, Gya-haa-haa." He threw a folder full of pictures on a polished wooden desk. The man behind the desk was of the same build as Heidegger; but rather than the olive green suit that the Shin-ra executive wore, this man donned silk robes that were layering in an unflattering manner. His body was coated in sweat or oil. Whichever one it was did not make him any more appealing but rather caused a grime build up between the rolls of fat on any portion of visible skin. His hair was slicked back, revealing his receding hairline. Short, stubby fingers shot forward to snatch up the folder. Eagerly licking his lips the man began leafing through the photos.

"What a tasty morsel," he laughed while drooling over the photos of a nude and underage Tifa Lockheart. Many of the pictures had been taken from the surveillance cameras in Tifa's cell. He had forced a few of the junior Turks to tap into the system and steal the pictures for him. "She'd be perfect once broken in."

"That's the good thing, she's been in isolation for two years and has no recollection of her past. I'm confident that she's still a virgin, but she won't be after I get my asking price for stealing her away from Hojo. Gya-haa-haa." That would be the tricky part, Hojo had his prize possession under lock and key at all times. Getting to her would be an almost impossible task, luckily he had received command of the Turks after Veld's supposed betrayal. Using them, he would be able to get ahold of Hojo's little pet and get away with it. It did not matter that the Turks would suffer because of his command, he would get what he wanted.

"I'd rather not have Hojo after me," Don Coreno commented. "But still, she might be worth both our weights in gil."

"Worth it?" shouted Heidegger incredulously. "Have you seen the body on this little girl? She's only fifteen with a bust like that and those thin flexible legs... She's practically begging to be one of your girls, gya-haa-haa-haa"

"True, how could anyone resist her look or her youth. I'm worried about this Soldier training she's been doing though. My customers don't want to be sent away battered and bruised."

"Keep her drugged up them, I don't care," Heidegger commented off hand. He did not care what happened to Tifa, just as long as he got to be the one to break her into the world the two fat perverts would introduce her to.

"I want plausible deniability, I want assurance that if you get caught I'm not going to be punished in anyway."

"I can't give you that, Hojo can crack just about anyone. He's the only one who keep the General under control, even though that silver haired test tube baby hates his guts. I don't know how he does it, but he does," Heidegger responded. "I can guarantee you that I won't give up your name unless physically tortured."

"Take whatever payment you want from her, then bring her to me by the end of the week. If you don't show, I'll assume you were caught and this meeting never happened," said Coreno dismissing Heidegger.

Tifa had been wandering aimlessly around the room that she had to herself. She had been placed in the barracks with the rest of the Soldier recruits, but she was given a room to herself. The last thing Hojo wanted was her living with another male who could force himself on her. An accidental pregnancy by an inferior creature could and most likely would ruin all of the work he put into Tifa. In accordance with his plan, he had started her biweekly injection of Jenova cells. The increased radiation therapy had weakened her enough for the cells to quickly bind with hers and start reproducing. Though Tifa was exiting her pubescent years, he body was still developing enough for Jenova to ingrain itself in her DNA.

The room was not large my any standards, but it was larger than the cell in which she had spent the previous few years of her life. She could hear the outside world, though she was not allowed much interaction with it. Hojo did not want her to interact much with her fellow recruits. He had warned her that too much fraternizing with the general recruit population would cause her failure in the Soldier program. With her dream so close to becoming a reality, Tifa would do nothing to jeopardize that. In one corner that was a pile of textbooks on technology, materia, weapons, and battle strategy that she would have to learn for her general classes. Soldiers were expected to be the best at everything they did and Tifa had higher standards than the rest because of Hojo.

She had just began pouring through a book on battle strategy when there was a soft knock on the door. Startled, Tifa expected it to be Hojo coming to check on her. The slimy madman had become almost a father figure to Tifa. He had shown her around the Shin-ra complex, made sure that she was settled, and administered all of her lab work. Most of his other projects had been put on hold so that he could focus only on her. The only one he worked on was the construction of a small training facility for Tifa. She would have her daily training with the Soldier recruits then she would have to train in his lab while under observation.

Tifa moved to the door, slowly turning the handle. The smile that had begun to tug at her lips dropped into a look off confusion when she saw the large, olive suited Heidegger standing there. She did not know his names, just his face from being paraded around in front of a number of Shin-ra officials, all of which Hojo referred to as ignorant fools.

"You aren't going to invite me in, I'm just going to have to report your rude behavior to the General. Soldiers are always supposed to recognize their superiors," he said quietly. He wanted no one to know that he was there and the heightened senses of many of those in the barracks would alert them to his presence if he were too loud. Still confused Tifa stood aside and allowed the fat man and the two junior Turks to enter her room.

"H-hojo didn't s-s-say that I-I'd have v-v-vis-is-visitors," she muttered. Remembering her dream to be the female counterpart to Sephiroth, Tifa wiped the look of confusion off her face, imagining how Sephiroth would react. Her face and posture formed a stoic countenance.

"Despite what he says, Hojo doesn't know all. Now, you'll have to be punished for your improper treatment of a superior officer," Heidegger leered at her. "On you knees," he commanded. Tifa cocked her head to one side, about to rebel, but quickly snapped her mouth shut and dropped to her knees. The Turks behind her closed the door.

"W-w-what are y-you going t-t-to d-d-do to m-me?" asked a confused Tifa. Pain was something that she was used to, but usually the source had been some odd piece of equipment from Hojo's lab. Never, in the short period of time that she could actually remember, had another human hand administered pain.

"Don't speak," Heidegger ordered moving closer to her. His puffy hand reached out to stroke her face, mapping the delicate contours with pudgy fingers. His other hand reached out to run through her hair. A deep shuddering breath escaped from his lungs and he pulled her forward to rest her cheek against his thigh. "When I'm done you won't even think of this as punishment. It'll feel like a reward."

Tifa tried to pull away from him, unsure of what he was talking about, but the hand in her hair tightened into a fist, trapping her. With his free hand, Heidegger started to unbutton his pants smiling wickedly the entire time. He wanted this now, to claim her mouth at least. He had the rest of the week to take the rest of his payment for doing Don Coreno this favor, not that he would not be paid in gil as well. Tifa could smell the pungent odor emanating from his still hidden body part and wanted nothing to do with it. Some base instinct caused her to fight to get away, but she too week from her radiation therapy. In a matter of seconds Heidegger was nude and pressing against her closed mouth. Her hand reached up to claw at him, to fight against him. All hope was lost until a strong knock resounded at her door.

Her mouth was stuffed with the dirty bit of flesh as she opened it to call out to the person on the other side of her door. All sounds were choked from her mouth as Heidegger merciless punished her. The sound of a key card sliding through the door side panel finally caused the fat man to pause. That hesitation gave Tifa the moment she needed to push him away with all of her strength.

"Professor," she called out scrambling away. When the door slid open, Tifa did not see the thin dirty professor. In her doorway stood the tall and imposing figure of Sephiroth. Fear and admiration were the emotional cocktail that ran through her body.

"What the fuck is this," bellowed the General, glancing from the half nude Heidegger to the kneeling Tifa. "This isn't some whore house!"

"What are you talking about, move aside," called the voice of Hojo. He had brought Sephiroth to Tifa so that he could inspect and approve of her progress in the program. Sephiroth had only agreed because he was curious about the first female to ever be admitted to the Soldier program. He had only read the reports about her and seen her the few times that Hojo had displayed her for the company. The professor slipped under Sephiroth's arm, confusion blending into pure rage when he saw the scene before him. The two Turks remain posted on either side of the door, wishing to vanish.

"You cretinous, asinine, troglodyte!" screamed Hojo. "How dare you touch my specimen? All my work would have been ruined because of your perversion!" Hojo continued to bellow on and on, the entire time he checked over Tifa to make sure no harm had come to her. He pulled his specimen off her knees and set her down on a chair in the far corner of the room, the entire time muttering about the tortures he planned for the fat man.

"I knew you were a sick bastard, but I didn't think you were stupid enough to do something like this," Sephiroth said coolly, once he had assessed the situation and demanded a report from the Turks. Though Heidegger was their temporary boss, they had no issue explain what they knew of his plan to the General. They would rather have not been on the business end of Sephiroth's masamune, which was naked in his hand. The blade arced gracefully through the air and landed a baby's breath away from Heidegger's neck. "No one was to interfere with the Soldier Breeding Program. No one. And what's more, to force yourself on one of my recruits. You should die."

"Don't kill him Sephiroth, he may be of some use to me," laughed Hojo. "Oh yes, I do have a small project that requires a new test subject." The scientist was at his scariest when he laughed, especially after a fit of rage. Hojo would do his worst to the repugnant fat man.

"Kill me," begged Heidegger. "I'd rather die now, than face that."

"No, you'll face whatever the professor has planned," Sephiroth laughed.

* * *

Pretty messed up, huh? No more Heidegger... Well he's not that important really so he won't be missed. Umm, ya'll have probably seen what's going to be the next chapter. After that things may progress a little slowly for a bit just to do more development... Oh and Hojo as a father figure? Sephiroth as a knight is shining armor? Heidegger a perv (coulda called that one)? Turks narc'ing on their boss?


	6. Chapter 6

I have to pick up the pace a little here, sparing all the details of Tifa's training as a Soldier.

Yada, yada I make nothing and own nothing... blah blah...

* * *

"Lockheart!" growled a voice from across the small camp. There were only twelve people of the thirty who had began the final training mission. Sephiroth was leading the senior group of which only three would be promoted to become first class Soldiers. Tifa Lockheart, formerly Specimen 0128, had only shown herself to be the second best of the group. The final exercise was a minature battle between all of the groups. The losers would die and the victors would be promoted. Hojo had made sure Tifa was placed in the group that was sure to win; he had even given express orders that Tifa was not to killed during the mission. The one responsible for her death would reassigned as one of Hojo's lab specimen. He had put too much work into 0128 to have it all destroyed by a jealous trainee. After receiving the first day's reports on the mission, he realized that his threats would not have been needed. Tifa was doing very well for a female fighting all male counterparts. Then again, he had made sure that she was stronger than all of the rest. When her daily exercises had been completed with the general soldier recruits he had given her the daily dose of Jenova cells and Mako, then subjected her to a special designed combat simulator.

Days had been long for Tifa for the past two years, but it had all paid off. She looked to be the female version of Sephiroth. Years of modeling herself after the General had made her almost a carbon copy of him. Her lacking status in the exercise was a result of a large treatment session before she had gone off. Hojo had quadrupled the usual treatment, so that nothing would be missed while she was away. He had harassed anyone with information on the mission about her status, worried that something might go wrong. He had devised the perfect retribution for any who damaged his specimen.

"Yes, General," replied Tifa running to where her General stood. Her arm snapped up in a steady salute. There were no signs of the pain her body was riddled with in her posture. The speech impediment she had upon exiting her cell years ago had completely vanished. She had grown a few inches but not much. Sephiroth towered over her, but there were no signs of fear in her. Size was not an issue to the small female, he had seen her take out multiple men twice her size. He also had the opportunity to watch the training she received from Hojo. The scientist was constantly in her presence or watching over her. Sephiroth found the madman's obsession with Tifa odd, but since it did not interfere with duties he ignored it.

"Come with me," he commanded waving off her salute and gesturing for her to follow him into his tent. Sephiroth had no care about Tifa being Hojo's little pet. If she were to be promoted to a 1st class Soldier then she needed to show him that she was capable of handling the rank. Once inside the tent, he poured of charts of their 'enemies' positions. Their location was marked as well. The General sat on a low folding stool on the side of the charts opposite where Tifa stood.

"Attack or defend," he asked her. Tifa's eyes glowed with excitement at being asked advice by the great General. Sephiroth had only been a year older than she was now when he had received the title of General. It reminded her that she only had one more year to travel that long road.

"Move the camp and defend that new location, until a more favorable attack opens up," she responded curtly. She knew that Sephiroth loathed long answers when short ones would do. She rescanned the maps quickly, noting a number of reasons why their current location was a poor choice to set up camp at. She had noticed a number when the order was received to stop for the day, but had remained silent about it. Now seeing the positioning of the enemies, more reasons became apparent. Topographically they were in valley with only one escape route, the way they had entered. By now, the enemy camp would seen their position and set up an ambush. They were heavily covered by forest brush, but those were also locations for their enemies to hide. Miles west, there was a hill with only a few trees. Their position would be that of sitting ducks, but only if they made it a permanent camp, which Tifa knew was a poor decision. Hojo had oversaw all of her education for both battle and science, drilling her relentlessly during her private training and treatment sessions.

"Explain."

"We're surrounded by too much brush and in a topographical low point. Basics say we should have gone for the highest point, but in this situation that would have been foolish because the highest location leave has only one escape point. The brush around us, should be teeming with our enemies," she explained. "We should scout ahead to the west and reach that clearing. The trees are far enough from the center that we would be out of range of long range fighters and materia experts. It also gives us a high ground advantage-"

"Don't give me some textbook answer," he snarled, interrupting her. Tifa had not intended to give such a rigid answer. She did not want to throw her weaker comrades under the proverbial bus nor did she want to give an unfounded explanation. "Explain why we should move our camp, honestly." Tifa froze for a moment, staring coolly at her commander. Her stoic gaze showed none of the inner panic that plaged her mind. Had he actually wanted a truthful response? The reason they had dropped several members in a matter of three days was due to death from their commander himself. He did not tolerate foolishness or poor judgment. Those who had angered or disobeyed him had been challenged to duels and killed. The system was archaic but it worked, only the best survived.

"Half them men are falling asleep and we're in a position that requires constant alertness. I'll risk tiring them out more for a spot that'll allow more rest later on," she responded. Her comrades be damned, she would not fail because of them. Her dream would not become a nightmare, if her General wanted a truthful answer she would give it to him. "We've no scouts or major matieria casters left, so any barrier we construct would be useless, so now we have to rely on physical strength and position advantage."

"You don't believe the others could defend themselves here," he asked more calmly. He was baiting her to see if she would voice her distrust; but Tifa would not take the bait.

"I believe they could and would if put in the situation, but I'd much rather take the high road and ensure a victory."

"You've sized up their strengths and weaknesses?"

"We've all done it to each other," she responded.

"And you require less rest than the rest of them?"

"I do."

"Very well, Lockheart," he said sighing. Sephiroth was growing tired of this game, quizzing recruits on battle tactic, listening to them complain, dealing with one recruit in particular was exceedingly tiring. Zach Fair, though top of the class, was a source of abundant energy that constantly pestered him. The few moments or rest he had taken were always interrupted by the raven haired puppy. Tifa Lockheart was calmer, though when she and Zach were together in their time off it was a recipe for obnoxious behavior. The two were the best though, so he allowed them to get away with more. "Alert everyone, we pick up camp."

"We need to scout ahead first," Tifa said.

"The scouts are dead," Sephiroth replied in his usual emotionless tone. Tifa knew the scouts were dead and that Sephiroth had killed them.

"It's only five miles, I'll be there and back in no time," she offered smiling.

"You have under an hour."

* * *

Thar' be more for this part, I just haven't written it yet. I'm trying to keep each chapter short. Though I may go back and toss in a chapter before this one. It depends on my mood... I feel dark things brewing and they wouldn't make sense if they happened after this chapter. Grammar and spelling aside, tell me what you think!


	7. Chapter 7

A continuation of the previous chapter, broken up because.. well.. I'm lazy.. :) Thanks for all the favs, reviews, and views. I'd like to thank my visitors from outside the U.S; and thanks for letting me know exactly what countries everyone is from.

Disclaimer: same as usual

* * *

A stiff breeze ruffled the loose locks of hair around Tifa's face as she squatted on a thick tree limb. From her vantage point in the tree she could see a number guards for other groups. Her battle training told her it would be beneficial and easy to kill each of the men posted on guard duty, but the General had given her under an hour to scout five miles and back. Tifa had sprinted the first three miles there; she had found no signs of their enemies within that range. It was on the the last two miles that she came across the guards. The other groups had stopped short possibly waiting for another to move first so they could attack the rear. As she sneaked past the guards, Tifa formulated a new plan. She could easily play the remaining three groups against each other. If she could get two of the three to believe that the third was moving first it would result in those two rushing towards the hill, only to meet each other in battle. The third would believe it had the advantage of attacking bother from the rear and wait out that fight for a little before rushing in. One one team would be the victor, at which time her well rested team could attack.

There was no need to move her team just yet; this battle had become a mixture or red rover and king of the hill. Moving silently through the treetops was not an easy task, but with the help of a usually useless float materia Tifa crept on. She used an equipped dispel materia and dropped down to snap the neck of an almost slumbering guard. Quickly she removed part his uniform, using it to disguise herself. Tifa did her best impression of a gruff male battle cry, alerting the fallen guard's team that others were moving on the hill. Just as she had planned the two camps within immediate earshot burst alive with a flurry of activity. Camp life equipment was left behind as armlet, bangles, and weapons were primed. Both camps departed for the hill at about the same time. Tifa disappeared back to her treetops to watch the scene, wary that she could only stay for a bit due to her time constraint. Once she was sure she had heard the sounds of battle, she discarded the clothing of the fallen guard and rushed back to her own camp. Sephiroth was waiting outside of his tent for her.

"What have you discovered?" he demanded, rising from the rock he had been seated on. Tifa's eyes danced with mirth as she smiled at her General. Realizing that her attitude was not befitting of a Soldier, her face fell into the stoic look she had stolen from Sephiroth.

"Fighting and disarray," she responded with a salute. She paused to get her rapid breathing under control.

"How so?"

"I simple misdirection and the three teams fell upon each other, fighting for the high ground. They're too concerned with each other to bother our camp for the night," she said after relating her previous discoveries and subsequent actions. Sephiroth did not nod in approval, nor did he scowl with displeasure. "By dawn, there should only be one team remaining."

"Zach Fair," Sephiroth shouted into the camp. The raven haired Soldier appeared from his tent. Though his hair was disheveled from lying down, there was no weariness in his eyes or movement. He had not been asleep, merely lying down until he received new orders from his commander. Sephiroth had Tifa relate her scouting adventure to Zach. After she had finished he asked, "What is your plan of action?"

"To move now. Half of our camp may be tired, but we can't give them the chance to rest after fighting each other," he responded. Sephiroth glanced between the two, Tifa and Zach. The two seemed to have a perfect grasp on what it took to succeed. He was not fond of how they would willingly take tired soldiers into battle, but then was only a training exercise... well, sort of. They were the two strongest of all, it was almost unfair to have them on the same team, especially with him. Then again, Sephiroth had done more to handicap their team than help. He had killed all of their scouts and the better of the materia users, they had been weak of mind and that could not be tolerated.

"Do you agree," the General asked Tifa.

"Yes, sir."

"Then lead your troops," was all Sephiroth said retreating to his tent. Zach and Tifa stopped and stared at each other for a moment. Had the great General Sephiroth relinquished his command over the team and given it to them. Were they to share or pick a leader between them.

"Wake everyone who is sleeping, we move out in a few minutes," Tifa commanded Zach, easily falling into the role she had been waiting for years for. Her voice took on the icy quality that Sephiroth's had and Zach thought for a moment that the General was magically speaking through Tifa. He laughed and clapped her on the shoulder.

"Leave the stragglers," he said more as a statement then a question or command.

"It's a competition after all," Tifa said, breaking her Sephiroth impression to smile at Zach. The two had become friends before the final exercise and would remain so until they were pitted against each other in the final showdown. Zach laughed and rushed through the camp waking up slumbering comrades. Within the following two hours a tough fight was fought as the remainder of the recruits were pitted against each other. Tifa and Zach had each dispatched a number of men and were left the last two standing. On the top of the hill the faced off against each other as Sephiroth stood by to watch. It was a tough battle for each, neither had any clear advantage, though Tifa had been handicapped by her adverse reactions to the injection of Jenova cells she had received before the final exercise. She would have easily been the victor had it not been for that, but still Sephiroth found both to be 1st class soldiers.

After watching the two battle on for a while, he stopped the fight.

"That's enough, you're both assets to the Soldier program," said in a bored tone. Tifa and Zach, minds still lost in battle fury, could not stare at him with confused expressions on their faces. Sephiroth saw the confusion written plainly on their faces. "You've both passed. You're being promoted to Soldier 1st class."

With his last words, the fight was forgotten and confusion was erased. The two let out raucous victory cheers and embraced each other. Their dreams had come true. Tifa was overjoyed at being the first female to become a 1st class soldier.

* * *

Short, but I didn't feel like writing out all the battle scenes. I'm not good at battle strategy (Halo, U.S Navy Seals, Call of Duty all elude me) so I kept it to the very basics. Who knows if Tifa's plan would have worked in real life... it doesn't matter now, what's done is done. And well, I couldn't kill Zach... not yet anyways. It's possible that all the events unfold as they did when Cloud was going to be a Soldier... major difference, Tifa actually is a soldier.. unlike Cloud (okay so I hate the guy.. sue me)

Anyway, I've gotten get more details ready for this actual Breeding program. After all, that's what this fic is about. I see babies in the distant future. Cute, red eyed, silver haired, test tube babies!


	8. Chapter 8

I just keep cranking out short chapter after short chapter. We've met Tifa, Cloud, Sephiroth, Hojo, Scarlett, Heidegger, Zach... hrm, who else could show up soon... No one in this chapter I just wanted to lead you on... hahaha. Soon my pretties, soon (like chapter 9)

I make nothing and own nothing.

* * *

"Heeeeeyy, Loockheeaart?" called a somewhat concerned voice from a few feet away. Zach Fair, leaned forward and waved a tanned hand in front of Tifa's face. Apparently he had been calling her name for a few moments by the tone of his voice and the duration of his final summoning plea. Tifa had been staring out the back of the truck, watching the greenery roll behind them. She was lost in thought about the current mission Shin-ra's favorite Soldier trio was on. Again, it was another menial mission. There seemed to be no real activity for them to do, so they were sent on odd jobs that Turks or junior recruits should have been sent to do. Tifa was itching to get her hands dirty in actual battle. Luckily, there seemed to be some sort of terrorist group starting to form in Corel. She hoped that once this journey was over, her next orders would have been to report there.

"Yea," she said, never looking up to Zach. Her red eyes were trained on the mountains behind them. Those mountains seemed oddly familiar, as if she had been to them before. Perhaps she had been there in another life; it was nothing to worry about now. She had to focus on what she was to do.

"How old are you again?" the raven haired Soldier asked his comrade. Briefly a quizzical expression crossed Tifa's face but it was soon replaced with the usual stoicism that she had adopted since first meeting Sephiroth. As her days as a Soldier continued, Tifa found it more and more difficult to express any emotion. She had only been a 1st class Soldier for a little over a year and she was growing disgusted with her superiors, underlings, and humanity in general. The only three who she regarded as worthwhile were Sephiroth, Zach Fair, and Hojo.

"Eighteen," she replied shortly. Though she was mildly curious to learn the purpose of Zach's question, she did not ask.

"Thought so," he said quieting down for just a minute. "How'd you get so good at martial arts?"

"Training." Again her reply was short. For the entire twelve hour trip, they trio had been mostly silent. Only the hum of the truck and quiet chatter of the few recruits with them were sources of noise. Tifa and Zach had been loose friends for a few years, but never had they just sat down and talked. Usually they had been doing drills, assigned different watches, or Hojo had shooed him away. The only male that Hojo did not chase away from Tifa was Sephiroth and that General rarely had anything to say to her other than bark out orders. Conversation was not something that Tifa was good at, not because she did not want to be, but because she did not have the chance to speak to many people.

"You gotta boyfriend... or girlfriend... Shiva, you are gay or straight Lockheart?" he asked at last, trying to get more than a one word response from her. That broke Tifa's concentration, she looked up at Zach, one eyebrow raised. He was a boy and her friend, so that made him a boyfriend, right? Somehow Tifa did not think that was what Zach had meant. As for girlfriend, Tifa did not have any female friends. Scarlett was really the only woman that Tifa had seen around; her and a few female Turks. Shin-ra was a male dominated company.

"No," she replied cocking her head to the side. "What's with all the questions?"

"I don't know, I'm sick of sitting in the back of this truck not talking. It's driving me crazy," Zach blathered on. "That and no one knows anything about you really, besides you're the only female Soldier."

"The only things you need to know are in her file, now shut up Fair," Sephiroth said from the back of the truck. He had been enjoying the silence that was so rare. Though he hated pointless missions such as the one that they were on, Tifa was the best traveling companion he could ask for. The girl spoke only when spoken to and followed his orders. She never complained and stayed out of his way. It just seemed that they would never send the two of them without tacking Fair with them. Tifa and Zach were almost a dream team on their own, they seemed to instinctively know where the other was in battle and work around each other without issue. Under his command the trio would never fail any mission put before them. Sephiroth just wished that Zach would learn that silence was golden.

"I'm not going to lie," he began sheepishly, "I checked out your file Lockheart, it doesn't say that much. Just that you've been in the Soldier program for about seven years now."

"That's a little weird, but expected," she said with a shrug. Her eyes turned back to the mountain range that was getting further and further away. In a few more hours they would be at their destination. "And Hojo has my file."

"You're pretty chummy with him," Zach stated suggestively.

"He's like a father and a coach to me," Tifa responded with a small smile on her face. Hojo had always been there for her, making her stronger, and smarter than all the rest.

"I don't get it, you're the only one that man will even speak to. If you ask me, I think he's got a little crush on you," Zach said, the lecherous tone never leaving his voice. "And you're eighteen now, I wouldn't be sur-"

"Fair, shut up!" snapped Sephiroth. Zach suggestion had conjured up a myriad of images in Sephiroth's head, none of which he wanted to be their. Hojo was a slimeball of a human being and the idea of he and Tifa sickened him. Not that he any claim to the brunette female... Well, according to the desired outcome of the Breeding program, Tifa was to be his- No, his mind out not even process it. Of course, Sephiroth had no problem with the fair sex. He had a couple of women he kept on the side in Midgar for the times he had a few spare hours. But this was some how different. She was practically a child and no doubt brainwashed by the Shin-ra agenda.

Truth be told, he had never seen anything in her behavior that bespoke of propaganda mongering; but, that did not mean that she it was not there. Through his own closer than natural ties to Hojo and direct involvement with the Breeding program, Sephiroth knew more about Tifa than she knew. His teal eyes glanced up and other at the seemingly distracted female Soldier. He was curious was to how much she knew about herself.

"Where are you from Lockheart," he asked out of morbid curiosity.

"I don't know, sir," she replied with a small shrug. It did not matter where she was from, only where she was going. Trying to find out anything about her past was not important. With his question came a nagging and fragmented thought, one that had haunted her many times. _"Promise me you won't forget us small town people... that you won't forget me." _Tifa shook her head to dispel the thought, those had never been her words, she would not have displayed such weakness.

"See, you just can't help it," Zach joked pointing at Sephiroth. The general grimaced in response. Either Tifa was very good at lying or she truly did not know. "Did you hit your head when you were little and get amnesia or something?"

"I don't really remember anything from my childhood," she responded. "Just wanting to be a 1st class Soldier."

"You know, most girls want to run inns, resturants, or marry rich, or something like that," Zach laughed. "I'm guessing you never played with dolls or played house, huh?"

"Couldn't tell you if I wanted to." Zach shook his head, his smiling slipping slightly at the edges. Shin-ra seemed to have robbed Tifa of whatever life she had been destined to live. Her one desire to be involved with the company had destroyed any and all other possibilities; it had even taken her memories from her. Many people would have been upset by this, but Tifa did not seem to care. Having no past was just another fact to her, like the sky being blue.

Sephiroth almost laughed at Tifa's admissions. He suffered from the same thing. After reading her file, he now knew that it had been Shin-ra who had erased his memories of childhood and origin. Anger boiled beneath his calm exterior. His file was even more blank that Lockhearts'. The two had a few things in common, other than her odd emulation of his behavior. Perhaps that was why the Breeding program centered around the two of them. Creating super Soldiers, not by injecting them with Jenova but by semi-natural procreation. Hojo was playing god, but that seemed to be the madman's hobby.

Two experiments, Sephiroth wondered if Tifa's opinion of Shin-ra would change if he were to tell her all that he knew about her purpose in the program. Would her dream still be to be a member of their army? Would her hate be as controlled and contained as his own? If she were to be as strong as he, could they both destroy Shin-ra. Those were his thoughts until they were interrupted by her soft female voice.

"Sir, what's our mission here?"

"Checking the status of the Shin-ra Space Program," he responded as the truck slowed to a stop at their location.

* * *

You all thought they were headed to Nibelheim didn't you? Come on, the mountains would have been ahead of them if they were going there, don't you guys remember the world map?

Anywho, yea, they're going to see Cid and Shera! And they might get to Corel too... Gotta make sure everyone's doing close to what they're supposed to be. It looks like the events of the game get delayed a few years. Wasn't Tifa like 15 when Sephiroth goes nuts and opens up a can woop-ass on Nibelheim... well, things will change.


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks RavenAlabaster! I was just thinking about how male dominated the shinra electric power company was and realized it needed a woman's touch. I mean, if Scarlett could make it up there, why could Tifa (who is stronger and better... not my bias, fact from Tifa dominating her in a slap battle). Anywho thanks to paranorma and all you readers around the world. This story has almost 600 hits and 500-some visitors. No lurking in the shadows people, review review reviews.

Anywho, I figured the group needs some time off so they'll be relaxing for the this chapter and the next. Some relationship development, yada, yada. I make no money and own nothing... yay Square!

* * *

It had been a tiring day, arguing with the salty tongued Shin-ra pilot had worn Tifa's nerves down to a dull nub. Then there had been his crude and barbarous attempts at seduction, that had sent Zach into uncontrollable fits of laughter. Tifa had done her best to dissuade the man without the situation coming to violence. The last thing that Shin-ra needed was a black eye because its Soldiers were beating on the lower ranks. The company had enough trouble dealing with the issues in Corel, Gongaga, and the behind schedule rocket program. After meeting Captain Cid Highwind, Tifa had not been surprised to find the project behind schedule. The man was more interested in brow beating his assistants and drinking tea than working on his rocket.

Her rough fingers traced the rim of the glass before her. Nothing like a few glasses of scotch to relax her after a particularly tiring day. Getting drunk, or buzzed for that matter, was not an easy task, nor had it been her desired end of the night. Her red eyes swept over the room, watching the small town debauchery with vague interest. She wondered what it would have been like to have been from a small town as opposed to only knowing the thriving metropolis of Midgar. The thoughts were quickly banished as too morose to worry about. Her eyes continued to scan the room as the bartender freshened her drink. Zach and Sephiroth should have been around somewhere.

"How's 'bout a drink babe," questioned a gruff voice behind her. Tifa turned rapidly, ready to bestow her wrath on the drunkard behind her. Her fist hung in the air inches before the face of an unflinching Zach Fair. Her anger dissolved as she rolled her eyes and turned back to her scotch, swirling the mixture of alcohol and ice.

"Looks like I beat you here," she said.

"You're acting even more like Sephiroth than usual, what's up Lockheart," he asked taking a seat beside her in the small booth and ordering his own drink.

"Huh?" was her only reply.

"You know what I'm talking about. You're always trying to be like the General," he stated. "It's kinda weird to have a female version of the guy, but I'm not one to complain."

"Bullshit," Tifa snapped at him. Zach Fair was notorious for bitching and moaning, especially when he had nothing else to do. "You complain for fun Fair," she continued, shaking her head.

"Whatever, but you didn't deny acting like the General," he accused.

"He's a hero and a brilliant man, why would I want to be like him?" she questioned, confused.

"Yea, but you need to have your own personality somewhere in there."

"We're products of our environment and breeding, more so environment," she responded with a shrug.

"Shiva, am I drinking with the bastard child of Hojo and Sephiroth," Zach laughed, knocking back the rest of his drink and ordering another. Tifa followed suit. Zach had hit the nail on the head; Tifa was the direct result of Hojo and patterned after Sephiroth. "We don't have anything to do tomorrow, lets drink this place dry," he cheered ordering a full bottle of scotch for Tifa and another bottle of whiskey for himself.

"I'm not big on drinking myself stupid," she said.

"Neither am I, but we could all use it after dealing with that asshole of a pilot," boomed a deep voice near the dark hair duo.

"See, now you have to," Zach whispered to Tifa with a sly wink. Her red eyes shot daggers but Zach Fair was impervious to nasty looks.

"What do you want to drink sir," Tifa asked flagging down the waiter who was fetching the two bottles Zach had ordered. Sephiroth's response was a simple wave of the hand that meant he would drink whatever was there.

"So how about Highwind's obsession with you Lockheart?" Zach asked trying to keep up some semblance of a conversation. If left to their own devices Tifa and Sephiroth would have sat in silence until one retired to bed.

"What's you point Fair," Tifa snarled, her previous annoyance at the day's events boiling under her skin once again.

"Come on, it was hilarious. I doubt that man could pick up a woman from Don Coreno's slum masion," Zach laughed.

"And what make you think you're any better," Tifa demanded.

"The fact that if I didn't have a girlfriend already you'd be all over me," he replied grinning.

"Don't kid yourself, I've got pretty high standards," she said finally feeling the affects of her twelfth drink.

"That's the understatement of a lifetime," Zach snorted, enjoying the interaction he finally drew out of Tifa. The girl had spent too much time around Hojo, losing all joy for life in the process. He had seen bits and pieces of life spark in her eyes, but those times were growing further apart.

"Explain Fair," Sephiroth demanded finally finding some interest in the mundane conversation. He had been watching the two go back and forth for over five minutes before interrupting. Normally, he would have removed himself from the situation, Soldiers discussing their love lives, but today had raised a number of unanswered questions in the back of his mind. He was sure Hojo was incapable of preparing her how to deal with a crude and lecherous man, yet Tifa had handled the situation well. She had not encouraged or responded to Capain Highwind's advances. She had even hidden the embarrassment and annoyance she had felt. It all made him wonder if she did have free time away from Soldier, Shinra, and Hojo. He was confident that she did not have a sex life being that Hojo checked regularly, and had it all recorded. That did not mean that she did not have a love life.

"Everyone's got a type of person they're attracted to, Lockheart is no different," Zach began as if Tifa were a science project. Tifa, accustomed to such behavior, fell into the submissive role of being on display that she had learned from Hojo's show and tell sessions. "After some careful observation I found out that there are two types of men that she would ever consider a relationship with, sexual or otherwise."

"You have no idea what your talking about," Tifa huffed crossing her arms over her chest.

"She likes the he-man, emotionless, fearless leader types," Zach drunkenly twittered on as Tifa glared harder at the only person she could have ever called a friend. "You know, real man types who command respect while acting like superior assholes. Ooowww!" Tifa had jammed her booted foot roughly against Zach's shin.

She had been stunned at Zach's loose tongue. Surely a man as smart as Sephiroth would have noticed that Zach was describing him. Embarrassment flooded her alcohol flushed features as she continued to scowl at Zach. The last thing she wanted Sephiroth to know was that she idolized him to the point of obsession. She did not want him to see her as a foolish, hero worshiping child. She wanted his respect as a soldier, as an equal.

"Anyway the other had the same arrogant qualities but exchanged everything else for antisocial and nerd like tendencies. Just like, I don't know, a repressed scientist."

"You wasted a lot of time thinking about this," Tifa scoffed, trying to hide behind the masks she had bult up over the years. Sephiroth did not respond to her statement; he merely raised an eyebrow and regarded her critically.

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Oh Zach Fair, you're such a loveable ass. She didn't want him to know that! It's not really love and Tifa is pretty clueless as to what a real relationship entails. Hojo should never raise children!

Anywho, reviews pease!


	10. Chapter 10

After many broken promises, here is the next chapter. Thanks to all of you who reviewed and cheered me on. It made me realize that, while it may sound selfish, everyone who writes does it for someone. We all have our audiences or desired audiences. OneWinged, Hazza (thanks for setting me straight on the h vs k issue), compa, suicide's bride, Alabaster, pananorma, tristar, and phantom... Also thanks to all of you who watch and subscribe to me and my stories. Afinal thanks to you silent lurkers out there... let your voice be heard. :)

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Anywho, I don't own squat... square does

Hours passed by with little change in the tavern's setting. The tavern drunks were sent packing when they grew too unruly and more people filtered through the doors at regular intervals. The only constant portion of the tavern's flux was the three SOLDIERS. Tifa, Zack, and Sephiroth had not moved from their table. The trio had discussed a wide range of topics, well, Zack had done most of the talking. He had hoped that Tifa would come out of her shell more but his tale of her obsession with Sephiroth to the general had shut the brunette down. She had participated, goaded on by the alcohol, but she had not really tried to keep the lines of communication open. Growing bored, Zack sauntered off in search of another diversion. That left Tifa alone with Sephiroth for the first time; always Hojo, Zach,, or other recruits or Shinra officials had been with them. Tifa found herself at a loss for what she should do with herself. Her eyes would dart to the General only to be averted quickly as he was boldly staring at her. Tifa longed for the security blanket of Zack Fair' incessant chatter. She did not realize how much she had come to depend upon it.

Sephiroth sipped on his drink as he regarded Tifa. His mind drifted through bits of conversation with Hojo and Zach regarding the red eyed brunette. She was by no means troublesome, nor what she weak in battle. In fact, Sephiroth had found her to be a relaxing presence. Her quiet obedience and determination to the be best was a welcome relief from the boastful and insubordinate nature of the newer members.

"Does Shinra plan to recruit more women,"Tifa asked at length, her eyes carefully downcast.

"Who knows," he replied. "Sick of being the only girl?" It appeared that the alcohol had finally loosened the general's tongue enough fro him to succumb to his natural curiosity about Tifa.

"I-I-n-no," she began, stumbling over own words, "I was just curious."

"Do you know why you're the only one thus far" he asked. It seemed that everyone had kept Tifa in the dark, while they all knew. She was the 'breeding cow in Shinra's sick attempt to play god. What did that make him?

"Hojo said that it didn't matter," she replied. "I just don't get it. I was the only one to get out of the radiation treatment. What happened to everyone else?"

"You really don't know?"

"No, but I guess Hojo was right, it doesn't matter," she said cheering herself up. She had made it and that was all there was to it. Out of hundreds, she was there and getting drunk with the man that half the world worshiped and feared.

"You're here, they aren't so have another drink," Sephiroth said tipping the bottle over into Tifa's empty glass. He wanted to push her to her limits with drinking if for no better reason than to see how she would behave. Perhaps he was more like Hojo than he had come to believe. Sephiroth's earliest memories were of Hojo's lab, much like Tifa's. Hours spent as the test subject or watching test subjects. He had grown to be more of a soldier than a scientist which had disappointed Hojo. Tifa thought of the mad man as a father, did he? Were they siblings in that sense? Hojo raising children, a terrifying yet true thought. Sephiroth had no memories of his youth or parents, head he been the product of some other breeding program? Had he been lied to by the only people he trusted? Lockheart was right, it did not matter. He was here now. Still the thought lingered in the back of his mind.

"So about what Fair said earlier," Sephiroth was eager to talk about something not relating to Shinra. Tifa flushed a color close to the crimson of her eye.

"I-I d-don't know w-w-what you're talking about, F-fair s-said a lot of things," she stammered. The stutter she had spent years getting rid of raising its ugly head in her embarrassment.

"I hope you don't start forming a habit of lying to your superiors," Sephiroth commented using the last of the whiskey to fill his glass. He stared at the empty bottle for a moment, wondering if he should continue to drink or call it a night. The topic he had just brought up was proof enough that he should have ended his battle with the bottle and retired to bed, but Tifa Lockheart was a curious character.

"N-no, n-not at-t all s-s-sir," she said rising and giving his a small salute. The empty bottles were gathered in her hands and she turned from him to obtain another. Zack Fair's words were forgotten as well as the general's remembrances of them. Her task was to fetch another bottle of scotch and return to the table. That had been her self given task, until her eyes spotted a piano, covered in dust, long forgotten in the corner of the tavern. Her feet guided her there of their own volition it seemed. There was no hope of breaking the inextricable hold the instrument had on her body and mind.

Empty bottles clattered on the floor as her hand reached out for the ivory keys. A song from a life she had not lived flowed from mind, to fingers, to keys, to sweet melancholy notes that drifted through the air. Tifa became engrossed in the song, her bottom finding the worn piano bench. The said song drifted through tavern, silencing many. Sephiroth watched from his spot at the table. His curiosity grew by leaps and bounds. When had she learned the piano? He doubted that Hojo had taught her; he had been more focused on her scientific value than her aesthetic value. The finer arts had no place in the barracks of Soldier.

Tifa was carried away to a new and wondrous place with that song. To a small mountain village that she had never been too. She lived the simple life of a house wife. Her husband worked on a Mako reactor. There were no children in her thoughts as she had no memories of being around them. Times were simple, there was no competition, no killing, no drills, no training, no Mako radiation therapy, no Jenova strengthening procedures. She was free and happy. Her eyes closed as she lived out that fantasy life. The dream ended with the song and a cold voice from behind her.

"Get some sleep Lockheart," Sephiroth said gazing down at her. He had wandered closer to her, enthralled by the motion of her battle worn fingers over the ivory keys. Hands that had meted out destruction were no creating something pleasing to his ears. His hands would never do that, they would never create, only destroy. Her song began to disgust him, but only because he could not do what she did. In that moment he loathed being the Shinra general and worshiped icon. He only wished to be normal; but that was something he would never be. Neither he nor Tifa would ever be given the chance an normalcy. They would forever be Hojo's dysfunctional and twisted children, forced into a sick incestuous relationship for the sake of science. Did he have a choice?

It seemed as if their hands had been tied by whatever cruel deity ruled over them; Shinra?

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Yes, a little dull, but its all going somewhere. Could Sephy have a little crush? … Naw, the man is a stone and you can't get blood or tears from a stone. Hopefully, I can update soon. I've just got to find free time and midterms are coming up XD


	11. Chapter 11

Well Shaleice you wanted a physical relationship :) It'll continue in the next chapter. I just wanted to toss this up for now while I spend my next 8 hours at working writing the fight scene instead of paying attention to the people trying to steal gas. A little bit of devo here.

thanks to all who R&R.. to the rest of you... DON'T BE SHY!

Anwyho, I don't own nothing :(

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Weeks came and went with no special event to mark their passing; small anti-Shinra groups rose and fell at the hands of the unstoppable force known as Shinra Electric Power Company. General Sephiroth, Zack Fair, and Tifa Lockheart had dealth with many of the major problems, not that those issues had been difficult for the trio. When not out on a mission with Zack and Sephiroth, Tifa spent her free time with Hojo, watching his work. She had no idea that his diligence was to her project. Within the year Hojo planned to have the specimen that he had spent the last ten or so years working on. All of his research and careful planning was going to reach a head soon. Once he had the desired specimen he would give Tifa and Sephiroth fully to Soldier, they would cease to be useful to him. He could clone any further specimen if they were needed.

"Anything I can do for you professor?" Tifa asked when Hojo paused his frenzied typing. Beady black eyes darted around, searching for the source of the feminine voice. Finally, they came to rest on Tifa,w here she stood near the door. He had taught her to remain near the door and out of his way unless he instructed her otherwise. It would be a shame to see her scrapped like a piece of junk, she who had been the only one to make it out of the original group of over three hundred women; but, it was a necessary evil. He would not have the time or resources to continue her project once he harvested the eggs from her ovaries. Those narrowed eyes continued to look over her form, but this time as a man rather than as a scientist. He regretted making the deal with the head of the Soldier program to turn Tifa over to them, knowing that he should have sold her to Don Coreno. What did it matter what the fat pimp did with her when he was done?

Perhaps he still had time to brain was all of her Soldier training out of her. The thought was appealing. All he would have to do is trade Tifa in for a large sum of money and that would help finance the projects of his that were sitting on the back burner. The Shinra executives were always cutting his budget, claiming that his research did nothing for the company. He had given them their precious Soldiers. Without his work, they would never have known the benefits of Mako. They would still be trying to figure out how to harvest it for energy. Should he cross the higher ups for the sake of his research? Why not? They were sure to do the same thing that he was planning to Tifa, except they would keep her for themselves. Once her body was used up and no longer appealing to them, they would toss her to the side.

"No," was all he replied turning back to his computer screens. His thoughts were back to his work and by this tone he implied that he did not want to be bothered again. Feeling a little dejected Tifa hung her head to turned to leave the laboratory. Hojo seemed to have less and less interest in her lately. She wondered what was distracting the scientist. He had always seemed rather attentive to her and had given her tasks to do around his lab when she asked if he needed help. What could have made him care less for her, why did he turn a cold shoulder to her like he did to everyone else? While she was walking, engrossed in her own thoughts, she nearly ran into Sephiroth. Only his large hand on her forehead from an arm's length away prevented the collision. Tifa scowled and looked up, angered that someone dared to touch her and interrupt her from her thoughts. Her anger did not disapate when she noticed that it was the general who had stopped her.

"Yes, sir?" she questioned in an annoyed tone. Sephiroth still received Hojo's attention. He was still cared for and attended to, why was she not? He was older and had spent more time with Hojo than she had, that had to be it. Tifa was enraged. It was unfair that she should be cast aside as second place to Sephiroth. The general always did his best to avoid Hojo, so why was he the favorite, the beloved son. Tifa's lips turned down into a frown as she continued to stare boldly at Sephiroth. What did he have that she did not? They had received the same treatments, she was at the same levels that he was. She had to be near the same strength as he, though the two had never fought. Teeth settled into her bottom lip as she wished death on Sephiroth. If she were ever to gain her position back as Hojo's favorite, he would have to be out of the picture.

"Something wrong Lockheart," the cold voice asked from nearly a foot above her. Tifa blinked in confusion a few times. Had she really thought about killing her idol, the man she wanted to be just like for years? Was that what jealousy felt like? Why should she want to kill Sephiroth? To be Hojo's favorite again? The scientist had always bounced around from project to project, his attention had always been elsewhere. Where had those thoughts come from, thoughts that had never crossed her mind before? Was something whispering evil nothings in her ear, something that wanted her to eliminate all competition in her life.

"N-no Sir," she said looking down at her feet. "Just frustrated and confused."

"Sort it out in the training center," he commented moving to step to the side and allow her to pass. While emotion was not something that he enjoyed dealing with, an annoyed Lockheart might prove to be useful for something. He had always wanted to test her strength himself, but free time was not something either of them had large amounts of. Now, the opportunity had presented itself. Of course, he had some sort of meeting that he was supposed to sit in on, but that could all wait. He was never known as one to show up on time to meetings or stay for the duration.

"On second though, Lockheart. We'll spar," he said, a cruel smile drifting across his lips. He would not damage her too much, not that anyone would care besides Hojo. What could the scrawny scientist do to him anyway? Teal eyes, looked down at her, gauging her reaction. To his confusion, he found none. Tifa's face had fallen into a peaceful mask of nothingness. He could not tell if she looked forward to the challenge or was annoyed that he proposed such a thing. Her eyes remained downcast for a second longer. When she looked up he saw a smile that mirrored his own dancing across her lips, a smile that he had only seen on one other face besides their own, Hojo's.

"It would be an honor sir," she said in a mocking tone. Where had her arrogance come from, this new found attitude should have annoyed him; but instead, it intrigued him. He wanted to see more, wanted to know what look she would have on her face as they fought. Of course, he would only use his hands and feet as it would have been a little unfair to use a six foot sword against someone who only used her hands. He watched Tifa as she all but stormed down the hall towards the training center, wondering what was going through her mind.

"_You're a soldier, let someone else do all the thinking," _a voice in the back of his mind commanded. Sephiroth obeyed the voice that he thought came from his own mind. It had been with him for as long as he could remember, so he attributed it to his subconscious.

By the time the two had made it to the training center a crowd had gathered around the running track that was raised above the combat floor. They all watched as Tifa and Sephiroth prepared themselves for battle. Usually, when sparring was taking place protective gear was worn to prevent any serious injury. Sephiroth had not bothered to put any one and thus neither did Tifa. He was was so sure that he would come out of their battle unscathed she could afford that level of arrogance as well. Tifa knew this would be the toughest fight of her life, even though it was no a real one. This was only a training exercise, something to blow off steam. It was luck that had brought her the man that she was upset with to fight.

"Ready, Lockheart," Sephiroth asked taking up a fighting stance. Tifa finished binding her hair in what turned out to be a long ponytail with a dolphin like tail at the end and turned to face Sephiroth. He was not using his sword. She knew that she would have the advantage for the beginning of the fight. A man used to killing from a distance would take a round to adjust to the intimacy of a pugilist fight. That would be her chance to strike hard and fast. She had never seen him in hand to hand combat, but she was confident that he was no slacker.

"Yes, Sir," she said, taking up her own stance.

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"Let's get physical, physical..." -Thank you Olivia Newton John for such a disturbing song

But ooooooohhhhh intimacy :) you'll all like what I have in store for the next chapter, though it may take me a while to get it how I want. Maybe one day i'll care about editing and get a beta.. but until then sorry about the typos.


	12. Chapter 12

So I totally suck at writing fight scenes, so I changed it to something I suck a little less at. I mean, I fight between two masters is like a well choreographed dance right? And there is a fine line between sex and violence right? If not, well I bite my thumb at you nay-sayers. :) (not really cause I want ya'll to keep reading). Either way, I really need some feedback because I don't know if I want to continue to write this way or not.

Square owns all... including you!

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"Tell me how you want this to go Lockheart," Sephiroth teased as he circled Tifa. He felt at a slight disadvantage because he was without his masamune, but he was confident that he could compensate quickly. It was just odd to fight without the giant sword, it had been at his side for so long that he felt nearly naked without it. It was an extension of himself, cold, hard, steel. Fist clenched and unclenched as the adrenaline rushed through his veins. Finally, he got to take on the confusing Tifa Lockheart. He looked forward to the fight just as much as she. Tifa Lockheart stood still, one foot in front of the other. Though she looked utterly relaxed he knew she would respond to any advance he made. The dance they would show the crowded room was almost as old as time. The only older one was that of mating. Fighting and mating, the two activities necessary to life and survival were always blurred together by the more barbaric side of the human mind.

"Slow and hard," Tifa responded with a grin. "If it's not rough it isn't fun." (Thank you Lady Gaga) A nervous laugh echoed through the cavernous room at the casual innuendo. Truth be told, it was not an intentional one. Tifa wanted Sephiroth to give her all that he had to give. She wanted to the general to lose control and show her his savage side.

"Then show me what you've got," he commanded. It was then that Tifa began to move, body following a primal song. Her feet beat out the rhythm of that song. The time for words had ended, all thinking ceased, the room faded to black, and the only two left in the world were those two. The dance had begun.

-Sephiroth studies his opponent-

He spotted her from behind across the crowded room. Her face was hidden by a gentle fall of hair that swept low, down her back to rest gently above her well rounded bottom. The thick hair hid most of her clothing, giving off the illusion that he had nothing on. He was mesmerized by the way her body flowed to the heavy beat of the music. Though he had not seen her face yet, he knew that he would have her. By the end of the night her body would dance beneath his. First a careful advance, he could not afford haste as it would surely backfire in the face of a woman such as she. Setting down his drink he moved down the bar a few stools. She was speaking to another man, with a few more lined up around her. The defense seemed impregnable, but he knew just what to do to get her abandon her guard.

He moved a few more stools down, just within earshot of the mundane conversations she was trapped in. Mundane conversation, something taught at grammar schools to make the savage human appear civilized. He knew otherwise, there were lessons that could not be taught in classrooms that would beat out such droll things. He knew those lessons, life had taught him the fun ways to win the girl.

Her face turned slightly, just enough for him to catch a glimpse of a fierce red eye, and gentle slope of cheek. He smirked, shook his head, and turned away from her to order another drink. By the way she held herself in conversation with the horde around her he knew that she was one to take up a challenge. A beautiful woman who came to a bar alone always was.

-Tifa accepts the challenge-

Conversations moved languidly around her, those that surrounded her did not have much to say. She responded to most half heatedly all the while looking for a way to make a polite exit. No that she cared about the egos of those around her, she was looking for something of a challenge, a fight. Then she caught him, something of a freak of nature. Long silver hair that shimmered even in the dark light, bright teal eyes that almost glowed. He had not been in those seats a few minutes ago. He must have moved while she was distracted. Either that or he was faster than she had thought. She fought her natural reaction to such an odd stimulus and kept her composure. There was her out, of her current situation of being bombarded with conversation.

When he turned away from her to order another drink with a shake of his head, she knew he would be the one. That tall, adonis-like picture of a man was going to be her conquest for the night. He looked so calm and collected as he sipped on his drink, she wanted to break that. She wanted him to fall prey to her seduction tactics and pursue her like a man possessed, only then would she spring her trap and have him all to herself.

Against her better judgment, she pushed past the men surrounding her and made her way to the stranger sitting at the bar.

-Tifa attacks first-

She stalked over to the man, much to the chagrin of those around her. Many left her to her own devices a few follow behind. They would not let her go so easily. When she finished advancing, she was only a few inches from the silver haired stranger, her eyes bore into him but he did not turn to acknowledge her. His refusal to recognize her presence was obnoxious. Her hand thrust forward just as he was about to pick up his drink again. Locking his hand with her's she gave it a hard shake, but said nothing else to him. Rather than use words, she had decided that to make first contact would be more meaningful some how. If he truly was challenging her, he was in for a fight.

-Sephiroth reassess-

The woman was more forward than he could have ever expected. She had not waited for him to introduce himself or ask what her drink of choice was. Without words she had violated him, broken through his personal guard and made physical contact with him. All while smiling and not speaking. He had underestimated her prowess as a hunter. If he were not careful he would spend the majority of their duel on the defensive.

-Tifa continues her offensive-

She released his hand and turned to the bar tender to order another drink, a simple scotch. What to do next, he had not responded to the handshake, not even a look of surprise had crossed his placid features. He had taken the blow and sat ready for whatever came next. She had to be quick, she had to lower his defenses. She sipped her drink, watching him out of the corner of her eye. Again, with blinding speed her hand shot out, this time to touch his hair.

"Real, or a really go dye job," she asked.

-Sephiroth counterattacks-

He allowed her second touch, but responded by cupping the side of her face and turning her to face him fully. Large hands that could mete out such violence were now gently caressing her cheek.

"I could ask the same thing about you eyes," he commented as his gaze raked over her body, "Or any other part of you."

-Tifa refuses to back down-

"Fair enough," she responded with a small frown. She released his hair, but moved her hand slowly up his arm, tickling the small almost invisible hair. When he hand came to rest on his, she peeled it back from her face but did not release it. Her fierce grip screamed possession, there was no other end in sight for her. This stranger would be her's, she would own him in everyone sense of the word.

"You're dancing with me," she stated, rising and all but dragging him from his stool.

-Sephiroth launches his own set of attacks-

Apparently this woman thought that she was going to defeat him through dance, was she in for a surprise. Though he rarely indulged this was an art form that he excelled at. In a matter of moves he would have her cornered with no escape. The music, that primal rhythm, drummed through his body, forcing compliance. This was where the battle would be won or lost, he had found his stable ground from where he would force her world to crumble and bend to his will. She would be his here and now, or never.

-The fight begins in earnest-

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Mwhahahaha To Be Continue :)

Shaleice you made me realize that we all a physical relationship between the two... but realizing that they're too screwed up for that to happen in "reality" ... makes us want it more. I know I'm teasing by ending here, but I want to keep the chapters shorter. :)

I have so much work to do... I don't know if I'll get anything posted before the weekend... I put off all my work and am now pulling an all nighter (while still sick mind you)... but of course I had to procrastinate by finishing this chapter hahahaha Don't ever be a college senior in your last semester... hahaha

K love ya'll

R&R pwease!


	13. Chapter 13

Hazza you were right.. that last chapter sucked... yes, really sucked hardcore... so I'm going to ax it soon and try my best to write a real fight scene. Apparently I suck at metaphors too :( ... Oh well, in the meantime I wrote this little chapter. We're going to start entering the timeline of final fantasy 7, thought it's all been pushed back a few years. We'll start to get some action in the next chapter or so.

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"What is this?" bellowed a voice that few had ever heard raised even in agitation. "Who allowed this?" Hojo burst through the door to the training center livid. His dark eyes were ablaze with rancor. Those near the door moved back, out of the madman's way. On a normal day, he was calm and creepy; now he was creepy and angry. There was no telling what he would have ordered done to those who stood in his way. Hojo had no concern for the others in the training room, only his two precious specimen who were engaged in a deadly battle. Tifa was trapped face down on the floor, blood dripping from her nose to the mat on which she was pinned. Sephiroth knelt with one knee on her back, pulling her left arm painfully backward. He was attempting to get her to tap out without having to remove the arm from her body. Those who had been watching the sparring match already know the appendage had been dislocated and were waiting to see the final result. Tifa was not one to give up, she would rather have only one arm than admit defeat. The bruises and bloodied eye proved to Sephiroth that she knew how to fight well.

"Release her now," shouted Hojo, trying to command the General. The scientists voice broke Tifa's focus on the fight. Her right eye darted over to see the man she thought of as a father. He had come to her defense, not Sephiroth's. Even though he had been ignoring her lately, he did not wish harm to come to her even if it was at the hand of his so called favorite. Sephiroth, being the General that he was, was not accustomed to taking orders; but rather than deal with Hojo he decided to end the fight. He increased the pressure he was exerting on Tifa, driving the air from her lungs. His eyes glanced down at her face which had been facing the floor a few moments ago. He noticed her eyes looking elsewhere now.

"_Hojo? I don't get it," _he thought as he watched her smile over at the scientist. She had been so focused on their fight before. Now the greasy, black haired, madman had entered and instantly her attention was on him. Never before had Sephiroth dealt with an opponent who had not focused entirely on the fight. He knew that Tifa had some weird connection with the scientist, but he had not realized just how deep it ran. He watched as he eyes bulged as she fought for breath, but still she did not stop looking at Hojo. Finally, she lost consciousness and Sephiroth released her. He pushed himself to his feet, a little unstable from the fight. It had taken a great deal out of him.

"Grab her, and bring her to my lab. You better not have caused any damage to my specimen," Hojo continued to shout as he rushed over to an unconscious Tifa and smug Sephiroth. He continued to mutter and mumble as he checked over Tifa's body. He would not know the extent of the damage done until he inspected her with his instruments. The dark bruising was not a good sign. He saw all of his life's work flushed down the drain as Tifa lie there motionless.

"You," he snarled pointed to Sephiroth, "pick her up and bring her to my lab. I have to make sure she's still useful." Sephiroth's only response was to quirk an eyebrow and start to walk away, leaving Tifa on the floor. "You still have radiation therapy to go through today, we're doing it now. Pick her up."

"You do not command me," he snarled at the scientist. Those who had been watching Tifa and Sephiroth fight had no desire to continue to be in the room. No doubt whoever offered to carry Tifa would suffer whatever torture Hojo had in mind; better it be Sephiroth than them.

"I control whether or not you get stronger, and by the look of it you could use a full year of treatment," Hojo hissed knowing just how to pull Sephiroth's strings. "Or do you want your next fight with this creature to end up with her winning. I'm sure the president would like to know that you were almost defeated by a weaker creature."

"Will, you stop referring to my soldier as a creature," Sephiroth hollered back storming back over to Tifa. He leaned over and snatched her by the arm, pulling her unconscious form up and tossing her over his shoulder.

"_You're soldier_," Hojo laughed. "She's nothing more than an animal, a cow. Once I'm done harvesting what I need from her, you can have her; but, for now she is _mine_." Sephiroth's only response was a snort as he stormed off to the scientist's lab. So that is what Hojo thought of Tifa, he did not see the competent soldier that he saw, the lieutenant material. He only saw her as a tool to use for his ultimate plan, the final piece of the puzzle. If that was what he saw in her, then what did the scientist think of him? It did not matter, he did not care. Sephiroth deposited Tifa on one of the scientist's tables before moving off to the side and waiting for his radiation therapy. Impatiently he wiped at the drying blood on his face, staring off at nothing in particular.

"Ah, my precious creature," Hojo muttered while hovering over Tifa, who was just beginning to wake. The last thing she remember was being pressed to the floor and staring up at Hojo's face. He was her white knight. Before she could soak in the glory and joy of being his favorite again, her body was racked with pain. She felt each bruise that Sephiroth had given her. He had one, this time, but she was determined to come out on top. Her eyes scanned the room for the stoic figure, she was sure that he had to be here, it was time for their radiation therapy. At least she thought it was, who knew how long she had been out for.

"Hey, no time for whatever you're planning professor. We've gotta go," came an out of breath voice from the doorway of Hojo's lab. Zack Fair stood their breathing hard with very strict orders from the Shinra president.

"Nonsense, nothing is more important than my work," Hojo grumbled hooking Tifa up to various tubes.

"My orders were to get the General and Lockheart and head to Nibelheim immediately, something's gone wrong there," Zack responded looking to Sephiroth. Fair had been there for the fight, only being summoned in its final moments to receive orders. "I can't go against the higher brass, sir."

"Come Lockheart," Sephiroth said turning to head out the door. Tifa hissed while trying to push herself up from the table. The wires and tubes pulled at her skin, but she had direct orders. Her pain could wait, there was cure materia to take care of her for now. While she wanted nothing more than to lay there and let Hojo take care of her, she was a soldier first. Her eyes shot daggers at Sephiroth, attributing the orders to leave to him rather than the Shinra officials. Hojo continued to make a fuss, swearing and threatening, but he could do nothing as he was at the mercy of president Shinra as well.

"Their radiation therapy," he said trying to grasp at something that would keep his specimen with him just a little longer, so that he might see if Tifa were unharmed.

"We should at least receive something of that General, then we could leave. I doubt we'll need it for this little issue, but it would be wise to be prepared," Tifa offered trying to help her savior.

"Refusing a direct order, Lockheart," Sephiroth questioned threateningly.

"No sir, just making sure we are in top condition to be done with this annoyance as soon as possible," she responded with a sharp salute. Sephiroth eyed her suspiciously, but had to admit that she had a point. He was confident that strength was not the reason she wished to stay for the therapy, but he would allow her this. Had it not been bread out of him, he would have felt pity for the girl. She was Hojo's little pet and would only escape that when he was finished with her.

"It will have to be cut short this time, we need to head out as soon as we can," Sephiroth said to Hojo.

"Yes, yes," you know where to go. "Fair, your presence is not needed here now."

"I'll go make sure all is ready to go when your done, sir," Zach said rushing off through the door. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He had the choice to ignore the direct order from the president or ignore his general. Such was the life of a soldier.

* * *

Hojo has some sneaky business to get to and then they're off to Neibelheim! We'll find out what happens when all the lies come to light. Madness.

Again I'm really sorry about the last chapter and that this one took so long to come out. I had to get the creative juices flowing ;)


	14. Chapter 14

Okay, I've been freaking out about my life and putting this off. Don't worry the next chapter is close. The problem is, this is taking longer than I thought. I guess its a good thing for those of you who don't want stories to ever end. Either way, madness is coming up as soon as the madness in my life calms down.

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"Sleep creatures," Hojo all but giggled as he introduced a new fluid to the tanks that held Tifa and Sephiroth. Usually the two had been awake while in the tanks that held all the Mako energy for their radiation treatments. After their fight today, Hojo saw no reason to wait until further damage occurred to his specimen before entering the final stages of his experiment. Tifa had reached maturity and the Jenova cells within her body were nearly as strong as Sephiroth's. While he would always be stronger, as his treatments had started in the womb, she had progressed quite well. As the two feel into a gentle sleep he prepared the rest of his equipment for the extraction of biological material and fertilization of Tifa's eggs. He would take more than necessary in case there were failures; those children that he would create who did not progress rapidly enough would be scrapped.

"My magnum opus," he muttered draining the Mako from the tanks and having his robots remove Tifa and Sephiroth. "The pinnacle of creation and it is I who has made it, not the planet!" Hojo's laughter echoed through the lab as he used large needles to extract what he needed from Tifa and Sephiroth. That being finished, he commanded his robots to put the two back into the radiation therapy tanks and introduce the chemicals that would wake them. His work was done with the two, there was no further need for them. Shinra could have full command of the two, he no longer cared.

In a petri dish Hojo used a number of chemicals and treatments that would kill off the weakest of Sephiroth's sperm, what remained was used to foricbly fertilize Tifa's eggs. The zygotes were moved to the incubation units that he had built, but not before the rapidly multiplying cells were bound to cells of Jenova. The scientist heaved a large sigh, knowing his work was far from over he retired to finish writing the reports that Shinra would require of him. Earlier that morning they had notified him that as soon as the zygotes of Breeding Program were in the incubation units, they would scrap the program and deny any knowledge of it. The reports he had to write were to be transferred to the Shinra Masion and locked away in its bowels. They would sit beside the records of what had happened in the Jenova project both before and after the birth of Sephiroth or specimen 0001, Jenova being specimen zero.

As the report was mostly finished, he had only to add a few lines and print the volumes off. When finished he called for the Turks and sent them away with boxes of his files. Though he would no longer have the hard copies, he still had digital records of everything that he, Gast, and Lucrecia had accomplished. Their work deserved to be known. Together, the three had recreated the once thought to be lost race of Ancients, or at least that was what they believed themselves to have done. Sephiroth and Tifa were little more than bastard children of an unknown species.

"That took way too long," Zach commented as the General and Tifa limped out of Hojo's laboratory. "Anyway, we gotta get going."

"What's going on Fair," demanded Sephiroth. He did not want to admit that Tifa had injured him so he did his best to hide his limp and the pain in his voice. It could not be known that one of his subordinates was nearly as strong as he was. He was the General, the commander, the legend and legends did not show pain or admit defeat to those that were weaker than they. Tifa was still a simple Soldier under him and he had to prove that.

"Nibelheim: the monsters on the mountain are getting too strong for the locals and Soldier recruits; they also might be screwing up the reactor. We also have to deliver some documents to the Shinra Masion."

"Busy work," Sephiroth grumbled brushing past Zack to walk into the now empty training room. He needed to retrieve his sword and coat before heading off. "This isn't urgent at all."

"I believe that they'd rather make sure that the reactor is safe rather than losing another one," commented Tifa limping after both Sephiroth and Zack. Her words were only heard by Zack as Sephiroth, even though injured still moved faster than both she and Fair. "After Corel and Gongaga, I doubt they can afford to lose many more, especially with Reeve so focused on completing the Midgar plates."

"Yea, I guess you right," Zack said making sure Sephiroth had gone into the training room. He waited a few seconds for the General to be out of earshot then leaned in to whisper, "Good fucking fight Lockheart. I've never seen anyone give it to him like you did, makes me afraid to get on your bad side."

"I didn't win though," Tifa replied, not sure what to think of Zack's words. He was congratulating her on a fight that she had lost, there was no reason to pat her on the back.

"It doesn't matter, very few have that balls to go up against the man. You did it and a few times it looked like you had him cornered," Zack continued to whisper, adding a wink in with his words. "You might have taken him down a few pegs. We've all thought that he was invincible since we were recruits, but you proved us wrong. Things might start to change around here," Zack mused.

"Nothing's going to change at all, Fair," Tifa scoffed. "It was just training, it didn't mean anything." Even though her words were the truth, she felt them to be a lie. That sparring session had proven to Tifa that regardless of their rank on the battle field, she was still first in Hojo's affections. Sephiroth would never be the favorite of their so called father. She could take any damage he could mete out with a smile on her face as she knew Hojo would run to her aid and not his.

"Let's go," Sephiroth commanded striding out of the training center while slipping his coat on his bruised shoulders. His stiff gait led them down the halls towards the truck that would take them to Nibelheim. It was a long trip and would give him the chance to heal and rest up from the sparring session he had with Tifa. She had been the best fight he had been in for quite some time. He would have to take measures to make sure that no others thought he was a good training session for them. He was sure that there were plenty among the lower ranks who thought that Tifa was not as strong as she was; and even more who thought that he had taken it easy on her. At some point in the fight his mind had been set on killing her, but she had evaded all of his deathblows. It had either been dumb luck or she had just been that good.

* * *

You knew that they weren't ever going to have children the old fashioned way. I know, I know, I cheated ya'll out of a real fight... I'm sorry :(

Well off to Nibelheim, I'm going to have to go back over the game dialog and work Tifa in there. And eventually, we'll get to the actual game setting.

Heh heh.. looks like I forgot to add this chapter after uploading the document... sorry gang THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR THE SUPPORT!


	15. Chapter 15

For some reason fanfiction wouldn't let me add chapters to this story. I don't know what was wrong, but it's better now. And after being reminded by A Glimpse of Ethereal Blue that this is an M rated story (which I totally forgot) I was struck with a beautiful idea. It won't be in this chapter and probably not the next, but after that everyone shall be made happy! So within the next 3 chapters I'll manage to fulfill everyone's wishes, yet not screw up the story. It came to me while I was replying to Ethereal Blue's review!

Thanks for all of the support, subscriptions, favs, and views. I wouldn't have gotten even this far without all of it. You guys rock!

* * *

"Tifa, Tifa!"

"You're back!"

"Why didnt you write?"

"Welcome home!"

"We're so proud of you!" cheered a number of voices from face Tifa had never seen before. People crowded around her as if they knew her, but Tifa had never seen them before. Her earliest memories were of being in that cell where she received intense Mako radiative therapy. In an actual fight Tifa had only one rival but she was defenseless against the onslaught of hugs, back pats, and general greetings. The town treated her as if she were one of their native daughters, but she had no memories of the place. Nothing from the scenery had ever appeared in her dreams, it was all foreign to her.

"Looks like we found out where Loackheart's from," laughed Zack as he unloaded a large box of confidential documents. The papers were to be stored in the basement of the old Shinra mansion.

"It's been highly classified information for years," Sephiroth said shooing away the few who had left Tifa alone only to gawk and pester him. It was going to be a rough mission of Tifa. Sephiroth wondered if the truth would steal her sanity. Would he lose the best soldier he had under him? Was there any way he could transform her confusion, anger, and betrayal into something else? Before he could think of answers to the questions he already had his mind jumped to the next topic of why he cared so much? Never had Sephiroth wanted to soothe someone's pain, why her? Simple, she was a good investment. But why? Why did he have such a strong desire to keep her under his command? Or was he keeping her alive because Hojo still needed her? Did he do everything that the scientist demanded of him? When had he become a lapdog? Would he kill Lockheart if nothing proved to quiet the madness that he was sure would be there? A shame he did not know that both of them were now disposable to the madman. Sephiroth shook his head, dispelling the cobwebs that such deep thinking created. He was a warrior, morose and melancholy thinking were not hobbies of his. He took his orders and executed them.

"Um, thanks, I gotta go," Tifa managed to disengage herself from the adoring crowd and made her way over to Sephiroth and Zack. "This is weird," she commented scratching her head, wary of the sore spots and dried blood.

"Welcome home Lockheart," Zach said, still finding the whole situation hysterical.

"Only I don't remember," she responded shaking her head. "It doesn't matter, all we have to do is check the reactor and get rid of those monsters."

"Don't forget about this stuff," Zack said kicking one of the boxes.

"I don't see why we had to be here," Tifa said staring up at the mountain. Did it look familiar? Had she seen it in her dreams?

"Apparently the situation has gotten very bad. We'll find some guide and head up in the morning," Sephiroth commented walking off towards the mansion. "You're free until then."

"Introduce me to your old friends," Zack pleaded carrying one of the boxes in the direction of the mansion. Tifa carried the other.

"I couldn't even if I wanted to," she said chewing on her bottom lip. "I don't know anyone here."

"Doesn't that bother you?"

"It just makes me wonder why I can't remember," she muttered, trying to sift through the memories that she did have. No one had ever told her about any catastrophic accident that would have killed her memory. All that she had been told about her past was that she was recruited for the Shinra Female Soldier program and had been the only successful candidate, all others had failed. Her eyes scanned the small town wondering if something would cause her to remember. There were a few small house, nothing special, an inn connected to a small tavern, and a water tower. A strange feeling comes over Tifa as she stops to stare at the tower. Her stomach turned small somersaults as she continued to stare at the fixture.

"Hey! What are you doing Lockheart," Zack shouted as he tried to fight through Tifa's adoring fans.

"_Did Hojo know all along?"_ she questioned herself. He had never told her about her life before being recruited and Tifa had come to accept that she had come from no where and had no one waiting for her besides the scientist. Now, she saw that she had an entire town that had followed her every public move, had celebrated each of her successes. Did Hojo know? Was this the reason why her dossier was filled with holes. Her lips turned down in a frown as she thought about the implications of being in this town. Shinra had to have kept her in the dark. They could not have, perhaps Shinra had found her an orphan somewhere and did not know where she came from? That could not have been it, Shinra knew everything about everyone. Tifa grew tired of explaining to people that she had no recollection of them or the town. Soon her supposed friends sighed and gave up.

"Tifa Lockheart," called the voice of a middle aged man who stood near the open gates of the Shinra mansion. The only feelings the man stirred in Tifa were confusion and agitation. She was sick of people knowing her.

"Yes?" she responded.

"I didn't want to believe it," the man said shaking his head. "I'm Zangan, you look busy now, we'll talk later when you have free time. I might have some answer for you." Tifa only pursed her lips and nodded. If sheran into the man she would hear him out but she doubted that his words would mean much to her. Tifa continued with Zack into the mansion, wandering down to the basement. They passed a locked door on their way to the library, each had thought that the locked door led to the library but they had been wrong.

"Wonder what's behind that door," Zack asked dropping his load.

"Probably something useless, you watch too many movies," she stated dropping her own box.

"Come on, you don't think there's a dead body back there, someone who double crossed the president?"

"It's probably just an empty room."

"Seriously Lockheart, you get less and less fun every day," Zack grumbled kicking the box he had just set down. He had misjudged his strength and sent the box topling over, spilling its contents on the floor. Tifa scowled at hima nd bent to start picking up the papers. Though she had no intention of reading any of them one caught her eye.

**SHINRA ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY**

**PROGRESS REPORT OF THE STATE OF THE "BREEDING PROGRAM"**

**PROFESSOR HOJO**

Tifa had been privy to a number of special reports thanks to working closely with Hojo. A breeding program was certainly up his alley, but she had never heard anything about it. Only once had she seen him working on something that could have been used for such a program. Incubation tanks, he had built them a few years ago. When she had asked what they were for, he had refused to answer only smirking and laughing.

"Hey, do you know anything about this," she asked Zack holding up the report.

"Just rumors that Hojo was trying to create some sort of super SOLDIER," he muttered snatching the report from Tifa's hand. Though he did not the full truth, he knew that letting Tifa get a hold of the file for a program that would prove just how they had all lied to her for hears was not a good idea. Zack silently cursed Shinra for its need for lies and secrecy. He was sure that if they wanted to breed a new generation of SOLDIER that there would have been thousands of women chomping at the bit to sleep with Sephiroth. All the details were still fuzzy, but Zack knew the program involved Sephiroth and Tifa.

"Sounds like Hojo," Tifa laughed, thinking about how the scientist would obsess over his projects. He had always a deep fascination and care for his test subjects.

"Yea," Zack replied picking up the rest of the papers. "Come on, we're free til tomorrow and you still look kinda rough. Let's get you a drink and some dinner."

"I'm not really hungry but I suppose I should eat," she muttered following Zack out of the library and mansion.

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I'm working on the next chapter already. It'll be a bit of a long one so put on your reading glasses!


	16. Chapter 16

Chapters are getting longer, sorry for that but I know where it's all going for the moment. I know I've said that like ten million times, but I think it's going to stick.

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The moon danced hauntingly in the sky, bathing the dark room in its ethereal light. Dust sat thick on the window sill, reminding the person standing at it that the window had not been opened in years. Tifa sighed and gazed out the window to the town below. This was supposed to be her home, a place where she felt welcome, a place that accepted her as one of their own. But she saw the reaction the townspeople had to her amnesia, she heard their whispers when they thought she was out of earshot. They were of the opinion that she had forsaken them, abandoned them, purposefully forgotten them. The small minded mountain people believed that she was too arrogant to believe herself to be one of them. Again, Tifa was alone just like that immeasurable amount of time she spent in that cool metal room. She was left with nothing but her own thoughts. Time ceased to flow as she gazed out over the town, her eyes coming to rest on the water tower.

"_Pinky promise?"_

A phantom from deep within her mind, two whispered words that carried some deep emotion with them. Had she ever felt emotion like that? What was it even called? It was a stab through her heart and gut, causing her hands to clasp over her stomach. Tifa's mind raced to what could have caused such a pain, surely not two words that rang in her mind. It had to have been from the scant meal she had shared with Zack. She knew she should not have eaten. Stiffly she shuffled to her bag to dig out an esauna materia. Tifa muttered the few words that activated the materia and watched as the pale green light bathed her. When the light had faded and the materia no longer glowed, the pain was still pulsing through her heart.

"Fresh air," she muttered to herself. She just needed some fresh air, the stale room of the mansion had to be the assailant. She would have thrown open the window but it had been boarded shut long ago. Her feet carried her out of the room and out to the front door of the mansion. Tifa pushed past the two recruits that were on guard duty and shoved her way outside taking in the cool night air. The crisp breeze did little to settle her thoughts, it only reminded her of her internal turmoil. Shinra, Hojo, Nibelheim, and herself were caught in some deceitful dance in the dark with each other.

It was not until a small metallic gleam caught her eye, were her thoughts turned towards another avenue. Always the careful soldier Tifa studied the winking silver sliver from her peripheral. Her muscles tensed as she paced in an ever widening circle, trying to appear aloof while getting closer. She did not need this right now, she had far to much on her plate. Who or what could be watching her from the shadows of the night. It would have been a sunrise in a few hours and the only people who should have been wandering about were the guards. There was a reason that they had never progressed beyond the point of being guards; while they were good at following orders, their skills in stealth, strategy, and other battle tactics were lacking. As Tifa neared the bush from which she saw the dancing reflection she paused to lean against a tree.

An instant later, Tifa was ducking to the ground as a streak of silver flashed above her head only to cut into the flesh of the tree. Instinctively Tifa swept her legs out, trying to knock her unseen opponent of of his or her feet. She met with only air, there was nothing behind her or to her sides. Hearing the whoosh of the blade again, she rolled to the side just was the ground was torn up at her sides. There she had it. Using the bottom of her boot, she kicked her leg out, to collide with the flat side of the blade. The sword fell soundlessly to the grass, but the fight was in no way over. Her mind never once thought of who could be attacking her or why. She was a soldier, such questions held no place when in the fight. All that mattered to her was survival and victory. Kicking her legs again, Tifa flipped to her feet, resting lightly on the balls of her feet as her eyes scanned the moonlit area in which she fought.

She could not see her attacker, only the glowing edges of the grass. No sound was made except for the soft rustle of the wind through the tree boughs. Since there was nothing to see, Tifa closed her eyes and trained her ears to pick up anything abnormal about that soft whistle of wind. There, she heard soft footfalls approaching from her left side. Two more steps and then nothing, her attacker had to have jumped. Knowing what to do, Tifa prepared for the impact. A foot collided with her abdomen, pushing her backwards and trying to drive the small meal from her stomach. Even through the pain, Tifa grabbed the leg attached to the foot. Using the moment of her attacker and the own that was propelling her backwards and down, Tifa drew the figure to the ground a few feet from her. She struggled to push herself to her feet and keep a fighting stance.

"You're better than I even gave you credit for Lockheart," muttered the gruff voice of the General. Instantly, Tifa froze where she stood. Why had he attacked her, why had he been waiting to lure her into the darkness of the night? What was the meaning of all of this.

"I don't understand sir," was her confused and pained reply.

"You heard me Lockheart, you're a good fighter," Sephiroth brought his teal eyes up to meet her burning red ones. He had been out getting air, sleep rarely came to the General, and he had grown fond of the simple silence of the night. Why had he attacked Tifa? Was it an impulse? Or was it a simple need to prove that he could beat her easily? Or had he seen the troubled and frustrated look on her face as she dealt with the town's people and wanted to give her an escape. Being a simple soldier, Sephiroth only knew one way to distract a soldier from his personal life and one way to distract a woman. He guessed that Tifa was more Soldier than normal woman, so some form of combat was his choice distraction. "What are you doing out this late? We have an early start tomorrow."

"Sir, I was just getting some fresh air. It's been a tiring day," she responded giving him the best salute that she could in her condition.

"I can only imagine," he muttered looking at her. "At ease Soldier." Tifa visibly relaxed at his words, perhaps there was a way that he could counter her distracted mental state. Soldiers were trained to follow orders without question, they were to do as they were told without thinking about it. As he watched her he saw the joyous light of combat leak from her eyes only be be replaced with the frustrated look he had seen painted on her face all day.

"Permission to speak freely sir," she asked looking down.

"Say what you want."

"Does Shinra know that I'm from this town?" she asked after taking a moment to bolster her courage. Once the question moved past her lips there was no taking it back. Did she really want to know if both Shinra and Hojo had been lying to her for years? Would it change her opinion of them? Would it mean that she was not Hojo's favorite. She had come to think that the mad scientist loved her as a daughter and would not lie to her.

"What kind of answer are you looking for Lockheart," Sephiroth asked. His question was all the answer Tifa's sharp mind needed. Lies, everything around her was lies. Shinra, Hojo, Nibelheim, Soldier, all around her was deceit. The ground beneath her trembled and spun. A swoosh of air buzzed past her head as she feel to the ground. They had all lied to her. She tried to tell herself that it did not matter as Hojo had said hundreds of times, but the lies were no longer comforting. Her mind raced back to the song that she had played on the piano in Rocket town, the dream she had while playing that melancholy song. She was from a small mountain town, she could have had a simple life. Nothing was the truth, everyone had lied to her. Hojo, her father, had hid the secret of her origins from her. She would not have cared about the answer, she would have still loved him over the non-existent memory of a small town. Why had he lied to her, why? Tifa's head pounded with questions as her body curled in on itself.

"_They've all lied to you Tifa,"_ crooned a voice inside her mind. _"They don't care about you, you're just a pawn to them. That's how pathetic the creature human is. It knows no honor, no loyalty, nothing but miserable lies."_

"Lies," she muttered, through her tears. "What else?" she demanded somewhat more calmly. What else had they lied about?

"Lockheart?" Sephiroth asked confused. He had expected the girl to break down, but her voice was growing calm. Her gasping breaths were quieting down, her voice was even, not even the trace of the stutter she had when stressed.

"If that's even my name," she laughed. "How many lies have I been told, General? What's the truth?" He watched the despair leak from her eyes, replaced by anger and hate. He watched the calm and quiet soldier break. Could he tell her more? Could he feed the fire that was burning in her mind? What would Shinra do if he created this monster rather than destroy it? Did he care what Shinra would do? Was it not possible that they had fed him lies his entire life?

"I don't have all the answers, but all confidential documents are brought here," he replied. With that one statement he sealed Tifa's fate to be an enemy of Shinra. He knew there would be no changing the look on her face, no being able to take her back as his soldier. He had freed her from Shinra. He would suffer the consequences when he went back, but he was sick of being their pet soldier. General Sephiroth watched as Tifa stalked calmly past him, eyes red rimed from the tears she had shed. A look of cold determination on her face.

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Madness will ensue in the next chapter. You'll also get to read parts of the document! Sephiroth madness is coming up too and Jenova and destruction and maybe a little nookie ;) So much I want to write out! Bah, I've been neglecting all my homework to doing this.


	17. Chapter 17

Here we are!

Here we are! Tons of info that I'm confident I half made up, but it goes along with what happened-ish. Seph gets to go mad in the next chapter and that's going to be a doozy to write. Thanks again for all of the love and support.

* * *

**PROJECT: 223-XGXZ**

**SHINRA BREEDING PROGRAM**

**PROFESSOR HOJO**

**ABSTRACT: A successful finish to the Breeding Program will produce at least one child with strength superior to that of Specimen 001 and Specimen 000. Females from all over the world have been collected and subjected to intense radiative therapy. Female specimen who excel during this stage will be placed in the SHINRA SOLDIER program until deemed ready to have their eggs harvested.**

Tifa's face dropped as she scanned the page. She could not believe the words written there; it made her sick to her stomach. Hojo had only "doted" on her and taken care of her because he was ensuring the safety of his specimen. She was nothing more than a lab tool to him, a means to get his desired end. There was a list of all two hundred and nine woman that were placed into the Breeding Program.

**SPECIMEN 0128**

**NAME: Tifa Lockheart**

**AGE: 12**

**ORIGIN: Nibelheim**

**OUTCOME: Success. Specimen was moved to the ranks of SOLDIER to complete maturation and continue with Mako therapy and Jenova cellular combination.**

Her name had been the only one labeled as a success. Hojo had not completely lied about that piece of information, she had become the only female SOLDIER but it was because she had been fostered through the system. Still she had completed her training and become the top of her class on her own merit. There were other facts listed there, but Tifa's eyes scanned the names of the other women she had never met or known of. Almost all of them had been listed as terminated failures. Hojo had either killed them or moved them to another experiment. Tifa knew that the scientist had been only concerned with the success of his work, but that was extreme. Whatever he deemed as a failure was killed, how could that have been right.

Slowly it sank into her mind that if she had not succeeded that Hojo would have disposed of her as if she were nothing but a bag of trash. He cared nothing for her, only for what she represented. He wanted to use her to create some sort of super soldier-god. Shinra had not only known all of this, but had funded it. This was the cost of her life's desire, to become a SOLDIER she had to become a breeding cow. But what were Specimens 000 and 001? The answer was somewhere down in the bowels of the library.

"Everything was a shame, a facade to get what they wanted. I played perfectly into their little plan. My life, my memories, everything was taken from me," she snarled snatching at the folders and reports that lined the shelf. She had to know what they wanted to use her to create. Her hands pounded on the shelves as she search frantically for truth. She could not stop now, how could she leave without answers, how could she go back and face the world of lies that Shinra had created.

"Shinra... SOLDIER...Hojo... I hate them all, I want them all to die," she bellowed to the walls. Her hand came to rest on a folder that was labeled

**SPECIMEN 000**

**THE JENOVA PROJECT ORIGINS**

**PROFESSORS GAST AND HOJO**

**ASSISTANT LUCRECIA**

Shaking hand drew the folder out from its resting place on the shelf. Her tear stained eyes could barely read the words on the page. The three of them had found an unidentifiable creature while up north. Being scientists they investigated, bringing the creature back to Shinra. Many tests were run on their first specimen and it was found that its cells were able to strengthen the bodies of small creatures. After more study the trio had made the bold claim that the creature, they named Jenova, was the only surviving member of a race of people known as the Ancients. The children of science had never fully believed in the fabled civilization of the Ancients, nothing more than wive's tales to put children to sleep at night.

Tifa was engrossed, fascinated by the information contained in the folder. Her hands flew back to the shelves looking for reports on the Ancients. What she found was very little, only that they were a now extinct race(except for Jenova). Another cross reference she saw in conjunction with the Ancients and their ties to the planet involved Mako energy. Forgetting specimen 000, Tifa continued to dig, searching for answers to all of Shinra's lies. How many lives had they ruined, how many families would never see their children, sons and daughters again because of Shinra? How many of the soldiers she had trained with had their memories erased? Where was the bottom of this pit, when would the lies end?

**FIELD RESEARCH ON THE SUBJECT MATTER OF MAKO ENERGY AND THE CREATION OF MATERIA**

**"Mako energy part of the planet's lifestream, the eternal river that absorbs the souls of what has died only to bring it back to life in another form. Our planet is sustained by this lifestream, which runs deep beneath the surface. Materia, is the crystallized form of the lifestream and contains great power as it has been given the energy of the elements and lives of those that have lived. In regions where the lifestream runs close to the surface it's tremendous energy has been harnessed and turned into a useable fuel. Early on many researchers often suffered ill effects after being exposed to this energy for a period of time. When switched on regular rotations it was found that these researchers grew stronger and immune to the ill effects of the exposure.**

**"When it was learned that men and woman gained certain abilities after this exposure, a portion of the harvested Mako was used on Shinra's soldiers to create an elite group. From this the SOLDIER program was generated..."**

Tifa stopped herself from reading. Not only was Shinra propagating lies about all of their activities and research work, but they were killing the planet as well. They were draining the very blood of the planet to fuel their buildings, cars, weapons, and luxurious lifestyles. It sickened her that the people she had followed orders from, the reactors that she had been sent to defend were doing nothing but continuing Shinra's plot to destroy everything it touched. She had been a pawn in their game of armageddon. Still not satisfied Tifa continued to read.

**"A myth from the Ancient's civilization is that one day the planet will create a land where Mako energy runs above the ground and in vast abundance. Shinra's goal is to find a way to create this land known as the Promised Land. If true, Shinra will be able to harness that abundance of Mako energy to dominate the world."**

"Promised Land," Tifa muttered wiping away at the silent tears that continue to fall. Though she was crying, rage burned in her eyes not remorse. She would not despair at what she had lost, when she could avenge that which had been taken from her. They would all pay, Hojo, Shinra, Soldier, she would make sure they burned in their own flames.

The hours of the night grew long and still Sephiroth had not seen or heard Tifa emerge from the library. He had kept a silent vigil in the hall, making sure that if she had lost her mind, she would not be able to go tearing through the mansion destroying all that lay around her. His lips pursed together to form a tight line. He had heard her tears, her screams, and her curses towards Shinra. She was finding out that everything she knew was a lie, everything that she had come to believe in was false. Where did that leave him. He knew many of the lies, but he was sure that there were plenty that he did not know of. Perhaps behind that door was his own past revealed. He could find answers to questions he had asked when he was just a child being tested on in Hojo's labs.

"Is it worth knowing?" he muttered to himself rising to pace in front of the library door. What could she be finding that was keeping her locked away for this long, in a few hours the sun would rise. And he would have to make a final decision on what to do with her soon. Lockheart had never done anything wrong to him, nor did he have orders to kill her. In fact, he wanted the opposite, he wanted to her live and be under his command for a longer period of time. She was the perfect soldier, though now he doubted that she would want to remain part of Shinra, not after the curses he had heard her howling to the rafters.

Though he tried to focus on the task he had at hand, he continued to wonder what files were contained on those shelves. He had listened to her reading aloud bits and pieces and his curiosity was chomping at the bit to be released. His pacing took him to stand before the door of the library, slowly his hand reached out to grasp the handle. Lockheart had no locked the door and the rusty handle turned with ease. Before pushing the door open his blade was naked in his hand, ready to attack Tifa if she charged at him. She made no move to attack, merely sat on the floor between shelves laughing hysterically as tears streamed down her face.

* * *

Bah, I'm not good at making people go crazy and I just went Lab Report on this story haha.

Ah, well, let me know what ya'll think.


	18. Chapter 18

Ugh, here it is. I was all in a mood to write this and got really into it... then of course, annoying people just ruined it for me. I just get so frustrated about hearing about how "hard" the life of a spoiled brat is. So the end of this chapter is pretty cruddy, sorry.

I suppose its time to state that Square owns all. Let me know what you think.

* * *

"You should see this General, sir," Tifa laughed sitting on the floor surrounded by dozens of folders and papers. "An entire world, made up." Though tears still dripped down her cheeks she laughed and smiled up at her commanding officer. "Nothing is true, not one of little piece of information. Did you know they were poisoning us with the life blood of the planet? We're all lab rats, that's all we are."

Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow, unable to remain indifferent to the sight before him. His lips turned down in a frown as he watched Tifa ramble while sifting through the papers. She was not hostile and only a hint of hysteria could be seen, yet he knew she had broken. The quiet soldier he had found so relaxing had died and all that was left was this hollow husk. Was this what knowing the truth did to a person?

"L-Lockheart," it was the first time he had ever heard his voice falter, the only time it had ever cracked with uncertainty. He quickly cleared his throat, hiding the weakness he had displayed. The last thing he needed was to appear as weak as she, one of them had to hold the crumbling world together. "Lockheart," he said again, trying to gain her attention. Tifa had gone back to searching through the scattered papers around her and mumbling incoherently. Her red and blood shot eyes gazed up at him, giving the illusion that they were bleeding. A smile formed over her lips and only broadened as she looked upon him.

"Yes, sir," she said finding her words quite funny. "Did you know that I'm supposed to have your children? You were supposed to fuck and impregnate me, you've failed your mission thus far General," she continued to say while choking on her own laughter. "Well, here I am come and get me!" With that she leaned back and spread her legs wide, inviting Sephiroth. The General actually had the response of looking embarrassed. Not wanting to be made into a mockery by a crazed woman, he kicked at her legs for them to close. Tifa, still a soldier, reacted by quickly moving her leg to snake around his and effectively trip him. Without much option he landed between her legs, only managing to prevent himself from fully crashing into her. Tifa's legs hooked around his waist, holding their lower bodies pressed together.

"Tifa," he said sighing. No matter how far down he dug in his seemingly, never ending hole of hatred he could find no malice to direct at her. It was almost impossible for Sephiroth to be angry with her. How do you hate someone who is breaking right before your eyes?

"Did you know?" she asked.

"Did I know what?"

"Did you know about me?" again Tifa asked her voice raising a little.

"Very little."

"Did you know I was supposed to be a breeding cow?" she finally shouted in his face. "Did you know that I was nothing but some sick experiment, Hojo's attempt to play a god of some sort?"

"I knew that Shinra was recruiting females in order to produce the next line of SOLDIERs who wouldn't need to go through as much Mako therapy. I knew that since I was the top male, I was their first choice to father them." Sephiroth had never given much thought to the breeding program; it had been something that had been in the back of his mind, never to surface until this night. It was sick, he had been involuntarily recruited to be whored out for his sperm. He had not been asked to participate, he had just been given the briefing on the issue. Ever the soldier he had never questioned his orders, just accepted them.

"You knew!" she shouted again, tightening her grip on him using only her legs. It would have been enough to break bones had he been a normal human.

"I always assumed that the project would have been scrapped before anything became of it," he replied, bracing his arms on the ground by her head.

"And if the project was scrapped, I was going to be murdered, tossed out like yesterday's trash?" she asked, still yelling in his face.

"I wouldn't let them terminate a good soldier," was the only reply that found its way to his lips.

"I'm only in soldier because they needed someplace to keep me while they waited for me to ripen like a piece of fruit."

"You're in soldier because you were good enough to make it. You could have died in the final training session, but you didn't. You made it here on your own merit, Lockheart," he said honestly.

"I'm sure you had orders to not let me die, isn't that why you didn't let Zack kill me then? One of us should have died," she accused him.

"I did have orders, but you two were the best and I wasn't going to let the best die in a pointless battle of superiority. I let the others, but they weren't half the fighters and didn't have half the brains that you two have; although, Fair doesn't use them nearly as much as you do," he continued. He only spoke the truth because he knew feeding the girl more lies would only drive her further into the abyss. The words did have some effect on Tifa, her leg death grip relaxed a little.

"What's the point of being a Soldier if it's all lies," she asked, her voice breaking as fresh tears sprang to her eyes. "I'm done. Kill me now if you have to, but I'm not going to Shinra. I'd rather die in this basement than continue to serve them. My only regret will not be paying them back for all that they took from me." With those words, Tifa released him, waiting for his sword to come crashing down on her.

"I'm not going to kill you," he said. Though she had released him, he still did not move. His eyes looked to the files scattered around them, then back to her face. Her eyes were closed as she waited for her death.

"If you don't do it now, they're just going to send you after me," she said. "You're a soldier, the best there is, following orders is what you do."

"My orders are to impregnate you, I don't seem to be following those," he said rolling his eyes and rolling off to her side. "I've done a lot of things, I didn't want to do. I never questioned them either. I turned the other way while Hojo and Shinra did whatever they wanted, I've been their obedient lap dog for years."

"But it hasn't been a lie, you weren't a bred whore," she muttered gesturing to the papers around them. "I want them to pay and you can't let me destroy the people you work for and protect. You have to kill me."

"I'm not going to kill you," he growled. Sephiroth sat up, for the first time confused as to what he should do. He honestly did not want to kill Tifa, but she was right; if he let her live Shinra would have him hunt her down. It would be a mercy killing compared to what Hojo would put her through if he was required to bring her back. "What's a soldier supposed to do when he doesn't want to follow the orders he's been given?" he ask rhetorically.

"He should never question his orders," Tifa replied automatically. Complete obedience had been forced on her and all of the soldiers that Shinra commanded; absolute adherence to orders. Sephiroth shook his head to clear all those thoughts that were running rampant through his mind. His eyes caught a glimpse of a few words on one of the papers that were laying around he and Tifa.

**SPECIMEN 001**

**THE JENOVA PROJECT: THE FETUS ORIGINS**

**PROFESSORS GAST AND HOJO**

**ASSISTANT LUCRECIA**

He had seen the first words before, they had been used to refer to him in other projects. He forgot Tifa for the moment, focused only on the word origins. Was this the secret that Shinra had kept from him, why had he never known about this? Tifa watched as his eyes hungrily devoured the information in the report. After a moment of watching, she scooted close to read over his shoulder, wondering what could have caught his attention. She remembered reading Specimen 001 and that Sephiroth was the specimen, but she had been so engrossed in her own revelations that she had forgotten about it.

He had been part of the Jenova project, he was the child born of Jenova. Her eyes widened as she read those words. Sephiroth was Jenova's true child, carried in the womb of a human woman, but he was an Ancient. He was the last of once thought to be dead race of Planet children. All the other information about the Ancients, the Lifestream, and Mako came rushing back to her mind.

Rage and hate flared to life in the General as he scoured through the information that Tifa had pulled off the shelves. So this was what Shinra had been hiding from him, why his file remained blank. What need did they have for him, it was not to be a military general, that could not have been it.

* * *

A little bit of teasing... And apparently this night is going to go on forever haha


	19. Thank You Readers!

To everyone I'm really sorry that I haven't updated in ages... literally. I'm trying to find my focus and get back to work on this. I still love this fic and want to finish it. I do have my SephTi lemon _Your Mine Forever, Tifa. _I still want to thank all of you guys for fav'ing this story. I'm tossing my shout outs in the following list. The next list of for all of you who subscribed. Must I say, I have a new thing for Tifa/Rufus and Tifa/Reeve lemony fics... -shifty eyes- I'm kinda a perv. -snick-

Anyways, THANK YOU GUYS FOR EVERYTHING

List 1: Thank you guys for your support!

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List 2: Thanks for everything subscribers, I'm working on a new chapter. Hopefully I can get it done.

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Yumi Reitenshi


	20. Chapter 19

So I don't think that there was any possible way for me to put this off any longer. A big thank you to my muse who finally came back!

Anywho, since this chapter was sorta half done, I didn't bother rereading the beginning part before publishing it, so I really don't remember what goes on here.

Zack comes back and Tifa ends the chapter by rambling to herself.

Anywho as I said in my last update, a huge thanks to those of you who keep reading, fav'ing, and following this fic. I'm sorry, I thought I was going to get to some Tifa/Sephiroth sex waaaaaaaayyyyy before this point but it just didn't work out in the cards yet. It will happen and when it does, it'll probably happen often... which gives me a great idea! (it's a secret though)

* * *

"Jenova," Sephiroth whispered, "is my mother. Mother." Wild teal eyes continued to devour information as Tifa watched, her own strife forgotten. No wonder she could never beat the General, he was the last of the Planets children while she was a scientific abomination.

"You're the last of the Ancients," Tifa muttered to him, drawing his attention away from the documents that had been thrown to the floor in his search for answers. "The planet is yours."

"Miserable bastards," he cursed. "But why? What am I doing here with Shinra?"

"Don't you see sir," Tifa began, "The want all the Mako they can get and by stealing what the planet has now, they force it to heal itself. After it does that, the Promised Land will come about. There will be enough Mako for them to steal for thousands of years." Tifa had pieced together what she believed to be Shinra's plan. It was not complete but that was what she believed to be happening. Not only had Shinra stolen her life, but they were robbing the planet of life as well.

"The planet belongs to the Ancients... to me and Mother," he said, turning to face Tifa. "I'll take it back for us. I'll get rid of all the vermin who want to steal what belongs to us." Sephiroth's large pale hands gripped the smooth wood of the bookshelves as he braced himself against it, forehead resting against the volumes that were still there. He was an Ancient, the truth still flabbergasted him. He was the last of the godly race that had once lived on the planet; the planets own children.

"As long as you're taking it away from Shinra, I'll stand at your side sir," Tifa said standing up. "The planet is your concern, I just want them to suffer for stealing everything from me. Their lies end now." She would follow the General to the ends of the planet to avenge her lost life. She wanted Hojo to suffer more than any other. She would make him the subject of tortures he could never dream up. Sephiroth had only been half listening to what she had said. He had found another report on Jenova, a more recent one. Apparently the main portion of her body had been relocated from Hojo and Gasts labs to the reactor in Nibelheim so that it remain in a suspended state. His mother was there, just up the mountain.

"Fuck Shinra, they're only a piece of the problem," Sephiroth mumbled. "It's the pathetic creature called man. They're the ones stealing the planet, they're the ones who wish to become like us. I'll kill them all. I'll hunt every single one down, from the smallest one to the oldest one. If Shinra falls along the way, so be it. I'll take the planet back for mother and I." He turned to Tifa then, teal eyes wild and full of hate. The look he had, mirrored her own. A deep understanding passed silently between them. Their new objectives were different, yet the same. Tifa wanted revenge; Sephiroth wanted destruction. She would never stand in his way. There was nothing left for her on this planet anyway, what did she care if all life was wiped out on it. The silence that fell across the two was disrupted by pounding on the basement door, followed by the calls of a puppy trying to get in.

"HEY! GENERAL? LOCKHEART? YOU TWO IN THERE? IT'S DAWN, WE GOTTA GET GOING SOON," the voice of Zack Fair permeated the thick wooden door and echoed off the walls. Tifa looked to her General for a command. "HEY, I'M GLAD YOU TWO FINALLY GOT TOGETHER BUT TIMES TICKING!" he continued barely waiting to hear a response. There were a few recruits that owed him a great deal of money after finding out that both Sephiroth and Tifa were last seen entering the basement together last night and never coming out. He figured the two finally gave into their natural human urges, the ones he had assumed to be there from day one, and had sex. Yes, there had been the rumors of the breeding program, but he had written those off. Still it was odd that Tifa was the only female in Soldier, but Shinra was predominately a male run company. There were a few female Turks and of course Scarlet, but they were used as breeding stock... although the latter got around enough to be considered that. "YOU TWO CAN GO AT IT AS MUCH AS YOU WANT AS SOON AS WE GET DONE AT THE REACTOR. ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS STABILIZE THE DAMN THING AND TAKE OUT A FEW MONSTERS ON THE WAY. HURRY UP! I WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE AND GET BACK TO MY GIRLFRIEND."

"What about Fair?" Tifa whispered to Sephiroth, unsure if she was willing to cut down the only person who had tried to be her friend. She had heard his please for them to hurry, but all other words had fallen on deaf ears.

"What about him, he's Shinra isn't he?" Sephiroth asked, pushing a few strands of hair out of his face and fixing his disheveled appearance. The calm, indifferent mask that he usually wore was back on his face, only his eyes told of the rage and madness warping his mind. "I'm going to find Mother." Tifa understood the meaning in that statement. He was relinquishing any control he had over her, he was no longer Shinra's general and she should not look to him for commands.

"So this is freedom," Tifa muttered, not bothering to fix her appearance. This was freedom, she no longer took commands from anyone, she could choose her own path, make her own life. The problem was, she did not know how. She had never learned to be truly independent. Of course, she could take care of herself and survive, but she had always had missions, lessons, training, agendas, and such that had been mapped out for her by Shinra or Hojo. She was no longer their puppet, she was the master pulling her own strings. Her had closed around the knob to the door while the other unlocked it.

"Whoa, Lockheart, you look like shit," Zack laughed while taking in the site of her bloodshot eyes, pale complexion, and out of sorts hair and clothing. His comment was met with silence as she brushed past him. The silent treatment was something he had grown used to, always being sent on missions with Tifa and Sephiroth, so he was not deterred. "You know, most people are happy and dancing across the room after they've had sex. It's about damn time you two."

Zack was slightly crestfallen when Sephiroth brushed past him without so much as a _"Shut up, Fair."_ It was not like the general to let such brazen teasing go without some comment about Zack keeping his mouth closed. That was easily forgotten as he followed his comrades out of the basement and out of the mansion. The trio was greeted with odd looks as they made their way past recruits, 2nd Classes, and Turk. Zack seemed to be the only one to notice the quizzical glances and offered only a smile, wink, and shrug as a response. Once outside the three waited only a few moments at the town limits for their guide through the mountains. Tifa growing impatient started her march towards the bridge that led to the mountains.

"Hey, Lockheart, do you have any idea where you're going? I get this is your hometown and all, but I'd assume you haven't been here for years and when you were here, you were a kid who probably wasn't allowed to wander through the mountains with all sorts of dangerous creatures running free." Again Zack's words were met with silence as Tifa continued to march forward. She was guided only by gut feelings. The reactor was where she was going to start her life anew. The reactors were Shinra's global sign of power as well as their money maker. She would break the company, bring it to it's knees and then deliver the killing blow. This town, Nibelheim was where her former life had ended and where her new one would begin.

"I shall be reborn, in the flames of this reactor," she muttered to herself while pulverizing any monster that dared to block her path. "I'm not just some science experiment, I'm not some freak slave who can be bred at will of her master. I'm my own master, I'm free, I'm free. You'll pay for everything that was taken away from me. No more Hojo, Shinra. Fuck you. I'll show you just what you created. You wanted a monster, you have no idea what you created. I'll kill you all and bath in your blood. Fuck you, fuck you all."

* * *

AND FINALLY, we'll get to the reactor scene. I've gotta go look up some actual game dialogue because, well, ... let's face it.. I haven't played any of the games in about 4 years. The only thing I have yet to do on that damn thing is get all of the E-Skills (doubt that's going to happen as I don't really care to stand there and get thrashed by some weak monster for an hour).

Anywho, Read and Review (I do read them and respond sometime... I also like to know what you guys thinks)


	21. Chapter 20

Okay, so here's the deal... You're basically going to hate me for doing this but it's better that you know now. I skipped of the rest of the Nibel incident. Why would you do such a thing Loveless? Because well it's pretty taxing to write about people going crazy and wanton destruction, I'm also not very good at it. Writing about both Tifa and Sephiroth going crazy drove me into a six month hiatus. I was burnt out, so I tried writing other fics to try to find my spark again, but those suck as well. So anyway, I skipped to seven years later (I think it's seven, I didn't bother to check my game facts because I'm taking creative liberties as is my right as a fic-writer). Tifa and Sephiroth are still together, but not really together.

I also changed the direction of the story a little bit. I'm still going through with what I want to do but I think it will be more fun if Tifa just stays with Sephiroth and doesn't join up with Avalanche as I initially intended her to do. She was literally going to take over the Cloud role in Avalanche, but now I changed my mind.

So without any further ramblings or non-sense (or checking what I actually put in chapter 19) here is CHAPTER 20 of the SHIN-RA BREEDING PROGRAM!

Remember I still don't own anything and make no money from this dribble.

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"So this is where our paths will finally separate," Tifa muttered gazing over the sublime city of Midgar. Her eyes came to rest on the Shinra building, the beginning and end of her story. The memories that had been wiped from her mind were buried in that building. Tifa doubted that she would survive the assault on the Shinra building, so she had not made plans for afterward. What if she did make it out alive? Where would she go? What would she do? For several years, she had dwelled within the Planet, her only companions Sephiroth and Jenova.

"Perhaps not," Sephiroth replied rising from his place at the fire and walking to stand at her side. "There is much that needs to be done if Mother is to get the planet back from those filthy animals."

"So I stay to help you and Jenova, but you kill me in the end? I'm not an Ancient, I'm nothing, a nobody, I can't help you," Tifa all but shouted at him. "First I was Hojo's little lab rat, then I was your shadow. I don't have an identity, I don't have anything."

"You have Mother and I," he said softly.

"You'll get rid of me as soon as you don't have any further use for me," she deadpanned. It was the truth, Sephiroth and Jenova would treat her as Shinra had. As long as she was useful to them, she would be kept alive and taken care of; but, once her use expired she would be terminated, tossed out with the trash.

"You carry pieces of mother with you," Sephiroth responded turning back to the fire.

"So do a lot of other failed soldiers, it means nothing, we're not her children. We yearn to be reunited with her but we can't be," Tifa continued to drone on ignoring Sephiroth's movements at her side. "Seven fucking years I wasted in that pool of mako energy called the Lifestream and I have less now than I did back then." Her fists clenched at her sides, bones cracking with the fire behind her. Freedom was difficult. A small part of her yearned to go back to the days when she was simply Shina's obedient dog, the bitch who was waiting to be bred.

- - - New Route - - - - -

"Yo, get yo' spikey headed ass outta the clouds, we got shit to do," bellowed the massive shape in the door way. He had just pushed through the rickety doors of the weapon shop to holler at the youth perched behind the counter. "Hey! You listenin' to me?"

"Huh?" the blonde questioned after shaking the cobwebs from his brain. His mind had been back in the past. It had been eight years since he had been back home, eight years since his mother had died. When she had gone he had no more ties holding him to that small mountain town, so barely out of his childhood, he claimed his father's rusted sword and set out into the world. He had only one person that he had called friend and she had been gone for what felt like a lifetime (okay, so I'm really too lazy to reread my own fic and do math... something like 12 – 15 years). He had read all the stories about her, she was becoming a legend in her own right. The only female soldier and then she had made the rank of First Class, working along side Sephiroth. But seven years passed with no mention of either.

"Cloud, I said we got shit to do! That an' you can't jess' sit in a fuckin' weapon shop and day-fuckin'-dream. I dunno why I hired yo' scrawny ass," the black mountain muttered. "Juss' hurry up and close the place down we got some stuff to talk about, it's like someone was readin' our minds and got there 'fore we could."

"You got it Barrett," Cloud chirped ignoring the rebuke from the man who had taken him in like family when he arrived broken and bleeding in Midgar. Barrett, Marlene, Jesse, Biggs, and Wedge were his best friends and family. They were also all members of the wanted eco-terrorist group Avalanche, number one on Shinra's most wanted list.

- Okay that was fun -

"What's going on down there," Tifa questioned watching as part of the upper Midgar plate plummeted to the slums below. The collective screams could be heard from the watch point miles outside the city. Millions had to be dead. Had the plate support just failed? Was it scheduled to be demolished? Had Hojo used all of the people of the slums as some sick experiment, only to get rid of them now that he had finished his research? "Perhaps it had something to do with the reactor detonations?"

"Someone else took up your cause and they had to be stopped," Sephiroth muttered while gazing into the fire. The sounds and shaking heard had not bothered him from his quiet dialogues with Jenova. The alien was trying to relay the location of her head in the Shinra building to Sephiroth. Years he had been so close to his mother without ever knowing it. Hojo had kept them apart, choosing only to feed him little lies to sate his curiosity.

"I never thought they would." Whether Tifa was talking about people joining her in blowing up reactions or Shinra dropping the plate was unclear. True, Tifa had been planning on blowing up all the reactors of Midgar as her first step to breaking Shinra, but she had thought that it would have been a solo mission. When the second reactor blew up without her so much as leaving her camp with Sephiroth she guessed that it was only an anomaly but then a third had been blown up. She could not deny that there was some force within Midgar helping her. What that force was, she had not known.

"Soon I must retrieve part of mother from the Shinra building," Sephiroth announced. Knowing, as if by instinct, that Tifa would accept the invitation to join him. True, she had her own reasons for going there; but, she was also created to remain at his side. The point of the Breeding Program had been to create a suitable mate for him, one who would bear his offspring. With the highly concentrated Jenova cells and mako in her body, Tifa was possibly the only hope of continuing the race of Ancients. Her offspring would not be equal to he and his mother, but wasn't something better than nothing? Could he convince her of this? The whole reason for her rebellion against Shinra was that she had found out that she was to be used for breeding purposes. He would give her time, she would come to see that he and mother were her only choices.

"How soon?" was all she asked, shaking with anticipation. Hojo was close within her grasp now. True she could have rushed the Shinra building and taken the man before, but she wanted their forces concentrated elsewhere so she would have an easy time getting to the crazed scientist. If she could slip in unnoticed she would have more time to pay Hojo back for all the lies and experiments.

"What is you plan with him, Lockheart," Sephiroth questioned, beckoning her to join him at the fire.

"To use whatever he's been working on against him," she responded sitting beside her general. Since they were expelled from the Lifestream Tifa felt calmer the closer she was to the Sephiroth. She thought that it was because he was the only link to the truth that she had left, but in truth it was the Jenova cells in her body desiring to unite with the ones in his. Their new-found "attraction" to one another was present before the Nibelheim incident but was magnified by mako in the lifestream as well as the full awakening of the J-cells in them.

"That could take quite some time, why not make it quick and get out without hassle?"

"I want him to know what it's like be one of his experiments, I want him to lose all sense of self and only know the pain that he has caused. I want him to bleed and then I want Scarlett, Hiedeggar, and Shinra himself to all bleed with him. I want the head of the president's son, Rufus, on a silver platter," she grumbled using a stick to stab at the fire before them.

"You won't have time for all of that," Sephiroth said, his way of reminding her that he was only going to get his mother's head and leave the building, killing only those who stood in his way.

"As long as the Planet still turns I have time," she muttered.

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I really do want to thank all of you who still read this crud and write me reviews and add this to your alerts and favorites. I'm shamelessly addicted to the attention. I'm sorry for abandoning you for so long. Oh, you crazy kids can call me Loveless or Lady, or Harlequin or some amalgamation of the three. Perhaps if you yell at me with my name I'll stop being such a freak and write more often :)

Love ya!


	22. Chapter 21

WARNING/SPOILER: If you are not okay with violence against Hojo... do not read this chapter. Skip to the end. If you are male... you may want to skip some of this chapter.

Apparently I'm just in some sick dark place. Just read it and review it... we'll talk when it's over.

Again I don't own anything as I'm too poor to afford stock in SquarSoft/Enix

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The fetid odor of the slums permeated all of their senses as the two soldiers used the permanent cover of night to made their way to the Shinra Building. It had been many years since Tifa had smelt something that bad but it also filled her with a sense of peace. Midgar, both upper plate and slums, were the only home that she remembered. Though she had never been given much free time to roam the metropolis it was still her "old stomping grounds." The ascension up the rumble that remained of Sector 7 plate was child's play to the two super soldiers. Once at the top Tifa paused and gazed upon the building. Shinra Headquaters, run by the rotund President Shinra, housing the infamous scientist Hojo. Hojo, that was who she had come for, who she wanted to suffer, who she would ultimately destroy with her own two hands. Sephiroth had his own agenda and she had hers.

"Meet me on the roof when you are finished," Sephiroth commanded without a second thought as he pulled the masamune from it's sheath. Tifa nodded out of reflex but knew she had little intention of following his orders, he was not her superior anymore. Not bothering with pretenses the two strode purposefully into the building as if they were returning from a dinner date. Mouths gaped as the fabled two most powerful soldiers returned to the Shinra building after several years of being AWOL(note: I didn't feel like putting Genesis and Angeal in this fic... too much work). Not two to waste words both began mowing down those who stood in their way. It had been years since Tifa felt the thrill of battle, of adrenaline surging through her veins as she pummeled her opponents one by one. Apparently, Shinra's defenses had gotten weaker of the years and the soldier program had all but fallen apart. With the allure of meeting the legend gone recruitment had reached an all time low, thugs looking for a steady paycheck had been all that Shinra had been able to gather.

Bones crunched under her fists, necks snapped with the fury of her kicks, and blood stained her clothing as she followed a route she had walked many times. She would know the way to Hojo's labs even if blinded. She lost sight of Sephiroth in a haze of red as she plowed through the guards leaving broken bodies in her wake. Single minded to the point of obsession was what she had been trained to become and when she reached the doors of the laboratory in was in no way an ending. It was just the beginning. A powerful flare spell charred the door, weakening it enough for her to send it crashing inward with a bloodied boot. There sat the man who robbed her of everything, who had taken her childhood, her memories, everything. He had made her his experiment, his little puppet who would sing and dance at all the appropriate times.

"You," she whispered darkly. The greasy scientist did not bother to turn around from his computer screen. The carnage and mayhem that had taken place on the lower floors was of no concern to him, neither was the woman panting in his doorway. She was a bother, an experiment that he no longer needed. Seven years ago he had taken what he needed from her; the events of Nibelhiem had worked as a way of disposing of her. Briefly he wondered just how she had survived but it was of no importance.

"Yes 0128, is there something you want," he muttered still typing furiously. Tifa advanced further enraged that he would ignore her. Her fist crashed through equipment, pulling at wires, ignoring the pain from the electricity shooting through her body. It was only when his monitor went blank that he turned those beady eyes to her. "I do not see how this is appropriate gratitude for what I have done for you. You should worship me, I gave you all that you ever wanted. You are the first, last, and only female to achieve the rank of Soldier 1st class."

"You stole everything from me, I was you experiment, an animal that you created for the purpose of breeding!" she shouted, destroying more of his equipment. That caught Hojo's attention. The machinery that she was demolishing was specially made to record data for his most recent experiment. "Does that bother you," she asked laughing, "destroying your precious machines?" Without bothering with him she moved through his lab raining down destruction with her fists until she found what she wanted.

"Don't touch that 0128!" Hojo snapped rising from his chair at last. He pushed greasy tendrils of graying hair from his face. His thick glasses glinted dangerously from the light cause by the minor explosions. His hand was reaching for the activation remote for the robotic guards he had in his lab, but on second thought, he knew that she would defeat them easily.

"You mean the security locks to all your precious specimen," Tifa asked running her hands over the control panel. Hojo pressed the button on the control for the guards and launched himself at Tifa, his only concern was saving the specimen he had worked so hard on. He would not let years of research escape because one of his failures was having a temper tantrum. Easily Tifa subdued Hojo, her hands closing around his throat and slamming him against the control panel. Crushing his neck would end things too quickly, so she released him but not before pounding his face into the control panel a few times. His screams were a musical symphony to her ears as she watched the blood trickle from his nose and mouth. The locks were released on all the cells containing his precious experiments. The first stage of Tifa's revenge was complete. The robot guards were advancing on her, but the sound of metal on metal alerted her that Sephiroth was at work behind her. He was looking for Jenova, drawn by some inexplicable force to find her. Hojo gurgled, coughed more blood, and laughed.

"A reunion of sorts," he moaned weakly from the place Tifa had dropped him on the floor. Her booted foot crunched the bones of his left hand, each finger one by one. She did not want to hear his voice.

"Have you found her yet," she asked Sephiroth, not taking her eyes of the fetid scientist at her feet. His screams were ignored. Wild eyes bored into the back of her head as Sephiroth frantically scanned the room for any signs of Mother.

"No, where is she," he demanded, doing as much damage, if not more, than Tifa had done to the machinery. Rage fueled his strength. He had to get Mother from this place. How dare Shinra entrust her to the care of the maniacal scientist?

"You heard him, where is she," Tifa repeated slowly continuing to grind her boot against the already pulverized flesh of Hojo's hand. Blood and snot dripped from his gaping mouth as the pain was beyond any sound he could utter. Bone fragments splintered from his skin; his free hand pointed down a hall that would lead Sephiroth to the remains of Jenova. The masamune clanked on the floor as Sephiroth fled the area to be reunited with Jenova. Hojo was left alone with Tifa Lockheart, a monster that he had created. Fear mixed with brief flashes of curiosity festered within his mind. He wanted to know what Tifa would do with him just as much as he feared those actions. Would she make him into her own little test subject? Of course she could not as she could not stay long in the Shinra building without someone coming to his aid. Would she simply kill him? No, he could see that she wanted him to suffer and a quick death would not satisfy her need for revenge. She had already set all of his experiments free, that would cause him a great deal of trouble as he would have to recapture them all if he survived this encounter. How much time did he have?

"What to do with you Professor," Tifa mused reaching down to take a tight grip on that long greasy hair. She began to pull him up only stopping when she realized that she was still standing on the bloody mass of flesh that used to be his left hand. Glancing to the appendage, she chuckled. "I suppose only amputation will save you from that," she remarked tossing him aside, pulling out patches of hair in the process. From a table she retrieved a number of items and bags of IV fluids. Again pulling Hojo up by his hair she slammed him against a troll panel, that would serve well for an operating table. Loose and broken wires sent electricity through his body causing his muscles to twitch and spasm. With a sharp but small scalpel Tifa began to slowly cut away at the mangled hand. She could have used a larger surgeons tool, but there was no fun to be had in that.

"Twelve minutes and forty seven seconds to remove a hand using a 15 blade," she remarked tossing the offending scrap of muscle and broken bones aside. She glanced at Hojo's face, noticing that he was fading out of consciousness and shock was dulling some of that pain for him. That was not acceptable, but there was a purpose for the IV fluids she had gathered. In a matter of seconds she had an drip of pure adrenaline rushing through his veins, killing the effects of the shock and reawakening Hojo to a new world of handless pain. He screamed choking on the blood that was still dripping from his nose down his throat. "Ah, how could I forget to cauterize the would so you don't bleed out," Tifa all but shouted. "You taught me that." Finding no better available tool she cast a low level fire spell to engulf his arm from the elbow down. True she had enough control over her material to have limited the spell to just the stump, but careful was not something she had the time for.

"That coughing blood on my face is a little irritating, I suppose you have a breathing tube around here somewhere... No? Well, I guess this will have to do." Tifa left Hojo to weep and scream over the pain while she pulled a piece of exposed tubing from the fan system of one of his computers. It was covered in dust and grime from years without cleaning but if Hojo could breath the stale, dusty air of the lab then he would survive entubation. He tried to hold his mouth shut but Tifa was too strong; she broke his jaw while pulling it open so it hung in an obscene manner. With no further preamble she began to shove the tube down his throat, using her body to hold him still. The first time she chose the wrong pipe and was forces to pull the tubing out and start again. Once that task was completed she listened to the rumbling that would have been screams had his vocal cords not been obstructed by the tube. It was an odd sound that Tifa could not compare. It was almost akin to the gentle hum of a well constructed vehicle, but different at the same time.

"I almost want to pick your brain and see what makes you tick, but I'll save that for another time," she promised. "You wanted to use me as some breeding stock, well let's see how we would do that with you. Can we retrieve a male's seed without his ejaculation?" Using a 10 blade Tifa quickly cut away Hojo's pants and underwear. For a moment she examined his naked form, curious as how to proceed. She could always cut right into the testees; but, there had to be another way. Suddenly she remembered a unique tool that Hojo used to his specimen that healed quickly. It was another piece of tubing that was barbed on the end. The bodies of specimen that healed rapidly would often pushed out an IV needle as they were healing. This special needle and tubing latched onto the veins so the needle would remain in the specimen's body. Tifa knew all of the tools in Hojo's labs, though she had never participated in any "research" with the man. Her duties had been to catalog and clean all the equipment he needed for the day.

Without any sign of hesitation Tifa took a firm grip on Hojo's penis and found the small slit at the top. Brutally she shoved the needle inside. The gauge was a bit too large for the small hole; but, that was nothing more force could not solve. The body did have a natural path from the penis to the testees but Tifa was determined to make her own way, not follow a set path. The hum-screams continued to fall from the tube in Hojo's throat, but not once did she hear him cough. When the flesh she had to navigate became too thick to hold on to properly, Tifa forced the needle back out of his body only to re-enter at a different point.

"Twenty-five minutes and eight seconds," she announced once she reach her destination of his balls. "I suppose I didn't really thing about how I was going to get your sperm out." Her remark was punctuated with a few sharp tugs on the end of the tubing. The barbs worked well as the needle did not budge from where it was lodged. The only way to remove it was to either cut it out or continuing feeding all of the several remaining feet of tubing through his body.

"Lockheart," Sephiroth's voice chimed from down the hall that he had went down to retrieve Jenova. He was headed back her way, cutting her time with Hojo short. "I have Mother, will you come with us?" Tifa reluctantly tore her eyes away from her handy work to glance at her general. His phrasing was not lost on her. He was not expecting her to blindly follow, he asked her to join them. Was she willing to continue down the path that he offered, did she want to go with him and Jenova? He did not wait for her answer but continued out of the lab, Mother cradled in his arms.

"I've gained enough information for now, but this is not over," she whispered darkly to Hojo before grabbing Sephiroth's sword and following him from the room. More carnage greeted her outside of the lab. Sephiroth and been busy while she had been abusing Hojo's laboratory. Everyone in the Shinra building appeared to be dead. Only a few escaped specimen were seen wandering around, looking for an exit. Most of the exits were sealed but both Sephiroth and Tifa knew that they would be able to leave through the President's office on the top floor. President Shinra, another man Tifa owed death to. As time was short, she would not torture him as she had Hojo. No the president was easily expendible.

As expected that fat man was cowering behind his desk, small gun in his hand. The coward was hiding as he always did. He hid behind power. Never had he lifted a fat finger to perform any of the evil deeds he wanted done. No, that was what he had the Turks, Soldier, and Hojo for. Such a man should not be allowed to live. He had allowed the Breeding Program to begin. He had been there while Tifa was paraded around under the pretense that she was the first female Soldier. He had signed off on all that Hojo had done to her and the nameless victims of that program and who knew how many others. He had consented to keep the lies and secrecy of all Hojo's experiments. She had no words to spare on him and with Sephiroth's sword raised high above her head, she plunged it through his body, pinning him to the desk. The coward had been to scared to even fire the gun at them.

"Mother is waiting," Sephiroth stated calmly from the balcony. His only black wing was spread, ready to take flight. In one hand the remains of Jenova, the other held out to her. Tifa placed her smaller bloody hand in his.

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I WARNED YOU! I wanted to go further but well, I didn't want a 20 page chapter and it wouldn't have fit the time frame of the game. Ever wonder who unlocked all the doors to Cloud and their cells. Well in my little world, it's Tifa! ... ... Well Hojo's face if you're being picky. She also kills Pres. Shinra because someone had to so the beautiful Rufus could take over. (I have a thing villains with nice hair) Apparently being irritated at work and home for a week results in this. It's not really that graphic in my opinion, but I'm sure to some of you it's down right brutal. Oh and yes, I had to have Tifa shove a needle in from Hojo's dick to his balls. Don't question it as my muse deemed it necessary.

But amid all the violence a little "love" might have bloomed. Sephiroth finally ASKS Tifa if she WANTS to come with him... as in he and Jenova have accepted her and want her as an ally.

Ah I almost forgot. In surgery a 15 blade is used for small incisions, finely detailed work so it would take awhile to sever a limb with it. A 10 blade is generally used for cutting muscle tissue, etc. I actually googled it while writing this chapter.

Ummm also, anyone recognize the parallels between what Tifa is doing to Hojo and what Hojo did to Vincent? Karma is a bitch, isn't she.

As I said, Read and Review ... like now ... please?

~Lady Loveless


	23. Chapter 23

So I didn't die, I just couldn't write this chapter. I'm starting to dislike my lack of action... and well it seems like this fic is just trickling along. I need to find my muse which I plan on doing by forcing out mediocre chapters. Eventually my muse will get so fed up with all the crap, s/he'll come out and then BAM! things will get good again. Oh well, figured I'd toss out some other characters as well. Thanks to all of you who are still reading this. Hopefully I'll stop disappointing you.

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She had left too quickly. One second she had been there smiling, blood coating her forearms and legs; the next second, she had disappeared. Cloud stared wordless in to the empty space where he had thought that he saw his childhood friend. When he had tried to call out to her the words had frozen on his tongue, not a single syllable had he uttered to gain her attention and let her know that he had finally found her. Years of searching had almost come to an end, only to begin anew, bringing new questions along with them. Cloud's companions ranged behind him. They had followed the carnage up the stairs, to the top floor of the Shinra Building.

"I saw her," Cloud muttered still watching that empty space, praying that she would walk back through that door and say _"See, I didn't forget you."_

"Who you talkin' 'bout?" Barrett asked letting out a low whistle as he looked over the remains of President Shinra. The fat man was pinned to his desk by a sword that could only have belonged to the legendary Sephiroth. He had seen the reports stating that the General had gone missing after some incident in Nibelhiem but nothing further was ever published and Shinra had pretended as if the General never existed. Barrett had questioned Cloud about it, but the boy had left and cut all ties to his hometown years ago.

"The only female First Class Soldier there ever was, Tifa Lockheart. We grew up together until she left to join Shinra," Cloud responded. "No one ever knew what happened to her until her name showed up in all the papers. There was all sorts of stuff printed about her, but then it all just stopped about seven years ago. I don't know why. I came to Midgar after my mom died to see if I could find her and let her know that he dad had died when the bridge to the reactor collapsed. I could have sworn that I saw her when we came up here."

"Well, she works for these Shinra fools boy, it's best ta' probably forget 'bout her. Might end up havin' ta' fight 'er," Barrett tried to comfort Cloud and keep him focused on the mission at hand. "We gotta get outta here though. 'Dis place'll be crawlin' with Shinras soon."

"I really would not like to be trapped in Hojo's labs for a second time," stated the red lion with the flaming tail who had identified himself as Specimen 13 aka Red 13 or Nanaki. They had also managed to pick up the slums flower girl Cloud had grown fond of. She was something special and her lab report stated that she was the last of an old race known as the Ancients. Hojo had been trying to breed the two as they were the last of the species, but the locks on all of Hojo's prisoners had been released. After seeing that brief glimpse of Tifa, Cloud was positive that she had been the one to save them.

"Now we got Shinra and 'dere two most powerful soldiers 'ta deal wit', 'dis shit juss' keep gettin' better," Barrett grumbled. "Awight, let's move out." The group was just about to do that when Rufus Shinra blocked their escape route.

In the few days that had followed Jenova's liberation from the Shinra science department, Sephiroth had began to hear a whisper of a voice inside his mind. Never before had he suffered from a mental deficiency as he had been the paragon of the Soldier program. No longer was he the feared Silver Demon of Wutai (or something like that). It would seem that Shinra had been successful in erasing him from history, as if he were a bad mistake. He had been able to roam the streets of Kalm with only a wary look from the elderly. Children did not fear him, teenage boys did not want to be him, and women did no swoon in his presence. Sephiroth had become a ghost of his former self. And then the voice had come, asking him to look around him, to watch the people, to understand that only a few years ago he would have been worshiped as a hero and god. Now the people had turned their backs on god and went about their pathetic existences. How dare they treat him in such a manner all the while destroying his birthrite. The planet was his to rule over and if they were left to their own devices there would be nothing left for him. To rid the planet of such parasites would allow it to heal, to bring back the Promised Land that there once was. Humans had stagnated and were now starving the planet, siphoning off its lifeblood for their own needs. It all belonged to he and Mother. Those scientists had left her weak, he could feel that. He would return her to her former state of glory. He would take back what was taken from her.

What would he do about Tifa though? She followed him, but only because it suited her. She was a woman with as many demons as he, but she carried herself unlike any other woman Sephiroth had encountered. He had seen her break down and cry only once, had seen her enraged only twice, everything else she treated with a cool detachment or childlike fascination. If she did not understand something, she obsessed over it until she could. That trait reminded him of Hojo, but the man had practically raised her. Then again Hojo had raised him as well. Sephiroth wondered if he too behaved in such a manner but his thoughts were cut short. The voice in his head would not let him wonder or doubt himself. What could that voice be?

"Is the Midgar Zolom still alive," Tifa inquired as trotted a few steps ahead of Sephiroth, towards the marshes. She was not worried about the giant creature, defeating the oversized snake was always a great way to relax back when she belonged to Shinra. Though she had turned her back on the evil conglomeration beating up on the Zolom would still be fun and a great way to get rid of some of the frustration she felt at having to leave playtime with Hojo.

"I don't see why it would not be," Sephiroth muttered still cradling the container that held the remains of Jenova. He seemed to be the same as usual, though he would mutter to himself if and when he did fall into restless sleeps. Tifa had tried to find out where they were headed, but all Sephiroth had said was that she would see soon. From the direction that they were headed, she deduced that they would end up in Junon by the end of the week. At least she could take care of the reactor at the fort along the way. She had once been on a mission there and had to deal with the locals claiming that someday there would be a Condor or Roc or some mythical bird to reclaim its ancestral home. She had helped squash the minor rebellion but that was all the time she had spent at the fort.

Through the mist, Tifa could make out a dark shape roughly the size of house. She was practically salivating at the chance to pulverize the creature. Booted feet connected lightly on the soft earth as she sprinted forward. When she reached the shallow water she made as much noise as possible to attract the Zolom's attention, it was known to find it's prey based on the vibrations they made in the water. The dark shape darted towards and Tifa rolled out of the way in time to avoid the snapping teeth. Springing to her feet, she dropped into a fighting stance. Strike two was met with another dodge followed by a quick snap kick to the soft underside of the snakes skull. The creature reacted by trying to slam it's skull down on Tifa, but again she was too quick. The head smashing was just the distraction as Tifa had moved within striking distance of it's tail.

In the blink of an eye, Tifa was wrapped up in the monsters crushing embrace. Briefly she thought about giving up and letting the creature crush her to death, but she was not one to give up. She had a mission to bring Shinra had Hojo to their knees and she would not stop until that was done. So flexing her muscles Tifa creating enough wiggle room to escape the bone crushing hold. Fists and feet connected with the soft body of the snake as she made her way towards its head. A few more feet and she would be able to connect with it's skull. A large mouth closed over her, blocking out the sun and the surrounding landscape. If Tifa had not been in that situation before she would have been worried, but all she did was move around, fighting the swallowing reflex of snake, until she found one of it's fangs. A few sharp kicks later, the tooth snapped and the beast screamed in pain. It's mouth flew open and Tifa tumbled out, wiping at globs of saliva. The Zolom slinked off to some dark corner of the marsh, clearly unhappy about the state of it's fangs. Sephiroth had merely watched Tifa's small fight, too concerned with the directions his mother was giving him.

"Mythril Mines?" Tifa questioned, guessing that it would be necessary to go through them to get to Junon. Sephiroth nodded wordlessly and followed Tifa through the marsh. The Mythril Mines were just as annoying as he remembered them, full of twists and turns. Apparently, there had been a number of rock slides and cave-ins as a few of the paths he had remembered where blocked off. Tifa had given up point and hung back, studying the rock formations. Hojo had made sure that she was as well-educated as Sephiroth but she had never had the free time in the field to study things as they existed in nature. In all her years at Shinra, she had never been able to marvel at the wondrous creations of the Planet and, is she left the reactors intact she would never be able to see them.

Crimson orbs bored into the back of Sephiroth's skull, wondering why she was still following him. She had her freedom and could have taken any path that she wished to take; but, she still followed him as if he were her commander. It was a quandary in which she was stuck. Back in Nibelhiem, a lifetime ago, he had given her freedom. He had given her a choice and all she knew was to follow him.

"We're stopping here," Sephiroth announced, stopping abruptly. Tifa had not noticed and almost ran into him. Almost, because being the world's best soldier meant that he was hyper-aware of his surroundings. With a swift move he turned and placed his hand on Tifa's shoulder to stop her. Tifa glanced up at him, senses dulled by deep thought. She was only vaguely aware that she had stopped moving. "Lockheart?" Sephiroth questioned, looking down at his stout companion.

"Sorry Seph," she mumbled, taking a step back and looking around her.

"Be aware of your surroundings," he reminded her with a curt nod. The shortened version of his name struck him as odd because Tifa had never been that way. Zach had always invented nicknames for him but never Tifa. He shrugged the issue off as a slip of the tongue and sat with his back to one of the cool walls.

"Why aren't they following," Tifa aloud, though the question was more rhetorical than anything.

"We're supposed to be dead or M.I.A. It would ruin the cover story if anyone found out that Shinra was tracking us. I'm sure they already have a scapegoat in mind," Sephiroth answered. He was gazing down at the containment tank that was cradled in his lap. There was a failing life support system attached to the device, but his barbaric method in removing her had damaged it. He would need to find one of Hojo's hidden labs if he wanted to fix the machine. Could Mother survive that long? If all else failed he could find something that would make due but he really wanted her to remain stable.

"May I see her," Tifa asked softly while taking a seat beside him. Sephiroth had been so engrossed by his own concerns that he had not noticed Tifa's approach; something was wrong. No one had ever been able to sneak up on him that way. He was always overly aware of his surroundings. Mother was taking up quite a bit of his mental faculties. Wordlessly he handed the container over to Tifa, who also cradled it gently in her lap. Her hands brushed away at a thin layer of road dirt and crimson eyes gazed at the creature within. Before she had a chance to process what she had seen, a sharp pain blurred her vision causing her to grab the sides of her skull. Something was screaming inside her mind, a wordless cry that caused pain and offered a place to call home. She had to return to that place, to be with others like her. It would be a reunion and all of the family that she had never known would be there. They would all become one.

"R-reunion," Tifa muttered as the pain subsided. Her head had lulled to the side and was resting on Sephiroth's shoulder. He made no move to retrieve Jenova or push Tifa to the side. He allowed her to sleep like that and eventually closed his eyes, allowing his head to rest on top of hers. She would be at the reunion, as would all of Mother's children. Tifa had every right to the planet just as he did.

* * *

So the reunion is going to happen? Has happened? Is happening? Who knows, I really don't. Sephiroth kinda knows something is wrong now that he's got Jenova, but he's so excited to have a mommy that it's probably going to blind him until he thinks calling down a meteor to destroy the planet is a good thing. Love the man but I'm sure that meteor would have totaled the planet beyond repair (thank you Lifestream.. and Holy ... a little) I mean if he blew it up before the lifestream could stop/save it... exactly what promised land was he living in. I know I'm totally fucking up the story but I'm allowed to take liberties and make things up... I write fanfics... it's what I do :)

Anywho let me know what ya'll think.

~Loveless


	24. Chapter 24

Hello all, I'm back with a new chapter.

I own nothing.

* * *

Junon had proven more difficult to get into than either Tifa or Sephiroth had anticipated. The old, lower town was crawling with Turks. It had to be the result of some large Shinra event taking place in the military part of the city. The two would have been able to avoid it if their stop at Fort Condor had been longer. The location had already kicked Shinra out on their own and protected the giant bird who called the reactor her home. The people allowed Tifa to rummage for spare parts for Jenova's container after she aided them in holding off Shinra forces. Sephiroth had kept a low profile as his time as Shinra's poster general would likely have been met with hostility. Left to his own devices he would have slaughtered the pathetic humans and taken what he needed but Jenova had begun to tell him of the master plan. That and Tifa wanted to side against her former employer in battle. He allowed her some petty victories before he ended it all. He almost heard the sighs of relief when the "man and woman in black capes" departed for Junon. Clearly, the years had stolen the memories of Shinra's greatest from their minds. No doubt only the Turks, who would be on special assignment to find them, would be able to pick them out of the crowds.

"The lift is pass code encrypted," Sephiroth stated while watching two Turks enter and activate it. He had never quite noticed how difficult Junon was to enter. He had always had flunkies to handle small details for him and he had always entered by helicopter or military vehicle. He was not used to the smaller entrances to any town. "Not that it matters, security is too high."

"Let me find the power transformer and auxiliary computer control and I can get us in," Tifa responded watching the lift gate shut.

"How?"

"Hack the lift as a diversion and send its power to overload the transformer. We'll have about five minutes to climb up that power grid by the water before everything resets," Tifa explained making her way to the auxiliary computer.

"I forget you spent time learning the same things Turks do," Sephiroth muttered. Four minutes later they were nearly to the military city when the straps that held Jenova to Sephiroth's back broke. Tifa let go of the pillar she was climbing to catch Sephiroth's mother before he could. She dropped a few feet before catching the container but misjudged her fall. She thought she would drop straight to the water but a cross beam broke her fall as well as a few ribs. Blood gurgled from her mouth but she held on to Jenova. Sephiroth made a split second decision as the power would return in less than a minute. A black wing tore from his back as he let go. People, no doubt, would see a man with silver hair and black wing carrying a woman fly through the air. Cameras would spot him but he could not let Tifa or Jenova be fried to a crisp. He plucked them from harm and rose to the top. Gently, he laid them down before folding his wing up and moving to check on his mother and companion. The container was fine. Tifa, on the other hand, was fighting the pain. Blood dripped from her mouth; her breathing was labored at best; but, through all of that she did not utter a sound of the pain she felt. Sephiroth peeled back her cloak and clothing to reveal blood and burised skin. One of her broken ribs had broken through the skin and at least one of her vital organs had been damaged. Even with her mastered Full Cure materia it would take days to heal the damage. Weaker soldiers had died from less. A nearby abandoned building would be the best location to heal her some before finding a better hiding spot in the city.

(Insert finger snapping intro tune here)

"Avalanche has finally arrived," the blonde Turk, Elena, remarked entering the makeshift base her team was using. Rude did not bother to look up at her. Reno, on the other hand, grinned widely.

"Old news Laney, one day we'll make a Turk outta you," the redhead commented. "She me what you got." Elena handed over the several pages of computer code that she had pulled from the lift computer.

"They hacked the lift and blew the transformer as a distraction," she said quite sure that she was right. "All at 0900 hours. I didn't realize Avalanche could do quick hack jobs."

"Yo Rude, when's they stop teachin' code tracing to the young ones," Reno laughed. His question was met with silence.

"I'm only three years younger than you Reno," Elena huffed.

"Yeah, but at least nine Turk classes younger. You forget I graduated with Rude's class. Now, let me tell you how I know for sure that this wasn't Avalanche." Reno began his lecture. "They did have a run of the mill hacker, but she died. Even if she didn't only scientists code like this. To be more specific only one writes execution lines entirely in hexadecimal. Why? I don't know takes up a lot of time and space. You do realize that these seven pages are only one execution line, that this is only part of a code that should have taken days to write? Whatever. Now comes the tricky part. Hojo's in Costa del Sol and has no reason to hack the Junon lift and blow the transformer. So this is the work of that monstrous babe he used to have, Shinra's number two secret most wanted."

"She isn't and besides she died seven years ago," Elena chimed in.

"No one ever said that she died, she and the general have only ever been listed as AWOL. Everyone just began to assume they died," Reno corrected. "Not to mention we had reports of a man with silver hair and a black wing carrying a woman through the air at 0906 hours."

"Those reports came from a bunch of jobless, Shinra hating, drunks Reno," Elena countered. "They're bound to be lying."

"If there's one thing I've learned in this world it's that drunk men rarely lie."

(insert finger snapping outro music here)

Hours later Sephiroth had Tifa resting in an abandoned building a few streets away from Junon's main strip. Carrying her through the streets without attracting attention had been more difficult than he thought. Stealth had never been something he took seriously as he preferred to attack all that stood before him. He could move silently through darkness while on a battlefield, but not on crowded avenues. The sheer number of troops had made him rethink his initial plan. He would not have been able to slaughter indiscriminately and protect Tifa and Mother, so his choice had been made for him. Tifa's Full Cure mater had proven to be useful; all he need was for her to wake up. The damage had been painfully healed. What most beginners did not realize about restorative materia was that it did not dull the pain, it only healed he body. As neither them carried a Sleep materia Tifa had to remain awake as her bones pulled themselves back together. Eventually pain had won and she passed out, but not once did she cry out. It had little to do with the soldier training and more to do with the fact that she was Hojo's little lab rat. Any sound that was made during regular examinations were treated as a new discovery and the madman repeated his torturous actions to be sure he was the cause and not something else.

"I smell something burnt," Tifa muttered groggily. Though she had woken up she had not opened her eyes or moved. Her other sense had told her that she was in a room with a rough wooden floor and at least one window that faced a crowded street. It was too warm to be a Shinra prison and too close to the general public. From somewhere in the room she heard the deep cadence of Sephiroth's breathing as well as the mechanical whir of Jenova's container, familiar sounds. A quick check of her body let her know that the worst of the damage had been healed though she would be sore in a number of places. A few patches of dead skin sloughed off but she was otherwise whole.

"You didn't scream," was all that Sephiroth could say. He had half a dozen questions for her, all pertaining to why she had done it; but those would not come out.

"It wouldn't have helped or changed anything." Clearly conversation was not their strong point. "Also, we should avoid Shinra detection." Tifa sat up and eventually pushed herself to her feet to survey the room Sephiroth had brought her to. It was nothing special or particularly liveable. The two windows were intact with tattered curtains drawn. A quick look let her know they were at least four stories up and facing another apartment complex.

"We're hidden for now," Sephiroth said, guessing her thoughts. "We'll wait until Rufus Shinra leaves to get on a cargo ship, a few days at the most."

"Where to next?"

"Mother will ell us," he answered.

"We have to get into the base to get supplies. I can fix her tank once we do." Tifa's concern for Jenova was welcome as was her knowledge of Hojo's technology. His training had been limited to collegiae level academia and war. Sephiroth had been designed for war, Tifa was Hojo's protege. She was to pick up his work if he ever died. Sephiroth had doubted she would have ever done that. Once introduced to the Soldier program she had spent less time with the madman. Sephiroth briefly wondered what Tifa would have been if she had not went to Shinra. She was in her early twenties and no doubt would have been married and fat with babies, in a sense what Shinra had wanted from her to begin with. Now she was a human killing machine, a symbol of a company trying to play god. He would show the world just what being a god meant. He would eliminate the parasites known as humans and bring about the Promised Land. Tifa knew of his and Mother's plan but she seemed not to care. A man with no past has no future, he could not remember the exact quote.

"What is your first memory," Sephiroth asked on a whim.

"I don't know," Tifa mumbled shrugging. She was focused on something out the window. "Being in that room and wanting to be a first class soldier, I guess. I always have this dream though. I'm a kid and there is another kid who tells me to promise him that I won't forget them. I guess I broke that promise," she laughed bitterly. Sephiroth gave up, now curious as to what had caught her attention.

The apartment building that theirs overlooked was about two stories shorter. At first Sephiroth did not notice but motion from the top floor window caught his eye. The curtains had not even tried to be shut and there was a bed. A rather comfortable looking bed. Several or so years floating in the lifestream and months on the ground after that made Sephiroth briefly yearn for his old bed. That was short-lived as he observed the people writhing on all of that comfortable goodness. One was a woman and the other he assumed to be male by the build. The woman was leaning back against a mound of pillows, mouth agape, arms flailing, fingers searching in vain for something to anchor her to the bed. Her eyes were screwed shut while the man's face was buried in her most intimate parts. One hand was at work in the same location of his mouth while his other tickled up and down her thigh. Sephiroth knew exactly what they were spying on and turned his focus to Tifa. He doubted that Hojo had kept her that sheltered; she should have understood foreplay and sex, at least the basic instincts and mechanics behind it. Hojo had been rather fond of cross-breeding species. True foreplay would not have been part of that but Tifa had access to all of Shinra's computers, there were books, magazines, and videos. She could have had all the knowledge of sex that she every wanted. That and he was sure she could have found a willing partner to teach her at any time. Sexual diversions for all mako enhanced employees was company policy, Tifa should have had access to all of those benefits. A memory struck him hard and fast. A young Tifa on her knees in front of a fat Heidegger, he remembered that event quite vividly for some reason. Hojo had been furious that the fat man would attempt to rape _his _specimen. Perhaps Tifa was Hojo's property in every way the crooked scientist could come up with? The thought enraged Sephiroth. Tifa was... Her own?... Mother's? … His? She was all three.

"So this is what sex actually looks like?" Tifa asked breaking Sephiroth out of his own mind. "I mean, I knew what it was and how it worked but ..." she trailed off. The man was not behind the woman, she on all fours as he repeatedly thrust into her.

"Hojo's penchant for cross-breeding?" Sephiroth questioned. Apparently Tifa had been sheltered from anything remotely pertaining to sex. Outside the world of physical exams, mako and Jenova therapy, and had to hand combat Hojo had made it clear that Tifa's body was off limits. She could shower herself but that was as intimate as it got. Tifa was the virgin that Hojo had wanted her to be. Tifa had asked him numerous times what the purpose of remaining pure was. He had explained that her having sex would cost her respect and rank, both of which were lies. Well, true she might have gotten the reputation of a younger Scarlet, but mostly Hojo wanted to eliminate any unknown variables with regard to her reproductive capabilities. Tifa knew that now and hated Hojo and Shinra all the more for it. Tifa wanted to experience the bliss of the strange woman she spied on. Hojo had denied her that human experience as well.

"Too many variables, better to harvest the genetic material, fertilize, and set to grow in an incubator," she answered at length. She paused again lost in thought. What was it like? What did sex actually feel like?

* * *

So that's all I've got. Nothing exciting. Would it be forcing it if I made the next chapter a lemon? ... ... Probs, you'll just have to wait a little longer and I might as well change the rating at this point :) kidding. Let me know what you think.

Loveless


	25. Chapter 25

"Gee wow! Thanks Loveless for uploading the next chapter!"

-bows to applause-

Okay, sorry I just wanted to be a ham for this moment. I'm going to break it to you now, there is no sex in this chapter either. You see when I first set out to write this chapter, it was going to be filled with tons of the hot and heavy smut. It was going to be creative too. Well, apparently Square's characters were not having any of that. I feel like I'm letting you guys down, but not to worry when the smut does come, it will stay. I mean Sephiroth hasn't gotten any in at least seven years... and Tifa... never in her... ... I don't even remember how old she is in this fic. Oh well read and review please.

Oh yea, as I said they are SquareSoft/Enix's characters and locations.

* * *

Four days had passed and security was still tight in Junon. Tifa and Sephiroth had only ventured out to acquire supplies, scout for security threats, and check the shipping schedules. Apparently, the town was still on high alert for the new president Rufus Shinra. She had heard rumors that Rufus was more ruthless than his father, not that it mattered, she was still going to bring him to his knees and destroy him. The high security had prevented Tifa from sneaking into the main labs, but Junon did have a few garages and secondary labs that had been abandoned. Some of the machinery she found was salvageable and quickly used to augment Jenova's life support tanks. Sephiroth had watched silently, lost in his own thoughts and telepathic communications with Jenova. He had started to wonder just where she spent most of her nights. There were their scouting missions, but other than that she would disappear when the sun went down and not return for hours on end. Not that it was his business or concern, but he still wanted to know. Never had he harbored such thoughts for another, never had he felt possessive over someone.

Four nights of being stuck in Junon did not bode well for Tifa's restless spirit. She needed action, something occupy her free time. While in Soldier and under Hojo's tutulage she rarely had free time that was not used for eating or sleeping. Reports, meetings, training, and aiding Hojo in his lab had taken most, if not all, of her free time. Now that she was on her own, there was only so much she could do. Well, there were a large number of things she could do to pass the time, but they were all things she was unsure of. She had taken to sitting on the roof of their building and watching the city below. There was a tight nook that was difficult to see from the other rooftops, but allowed her an unobstructed view of the building adjacent to the one she and Sephiroth occupied. The reason behind her location was not random, she had taken to spying on the couple she had witnessed copulating a few days ago. Their sexual relationship was fascinating, tantalizing, and something she wanted to participate in but was unsure about.

The couple did not seem to leave the bed, as this was their third time in one day. Well, third time, that she had witnessed. Tifa was losing herself in the strange tingling sensations that were running rampant through her body with a flash of red against the drab background caught her eye. Five days, four nights, she had seen nothing red floating around their building, especially not near her rooftop hideaway. Keeping her body low Tifa scrambled back to the gaping hole in the roof and dropped down to the loft she shared with Sephiroth. He did not bother to look away from the window at Tifa's entrance.

"Location compromised, we have to get out of here," she whispered grabbing her bag. She had procured a new disguise for herself while out scouting the other day. The one she had put together for Sephiroth had immediately been incinerated by the ex-general. He would not change his appearance, as he was not in hiding and would meet Shinra's forces face to face if the need arose. It would not be the path of least resistance but it would sate his ever-increasing blood lust. He eyed Tifa as she stripped down and put on her change of clothes. Though she was primarily raised by Hojo he found it odd that she behaved like a stereotypical woman sometimes. It was rather strange that she chose to change clothes in a minor crisis. In the end, he forgot any protest or words of haste as an almost nude Tifa Lockheart was a distracting sight to anyone. He might be superior to all humans and wish their destruction but he could do nothing but appreciate the short and buxom brunette as she slipped on a tight leather mini skirt with suspenders and a white halter top. It was a good thing that she had only worn her uniform while in Soldier, he would have had to discipline a lot more soldiers about their attitudes towards her. Most likely, he would have had to discipline himself.

Tifa pulled her hair into a low pony tail and slung her bag across her back. Her glowing red eyes would still make her stand out, but sunglasses could hide those. She tossed her cloak to Sephiroth meaning for him to use it in order to wrap Jenova. Tifa paused after catching Sephiroth's gaze. He looked quite different from usual. Normally his expression was blank, only little subtle quirks of muscles letting her know what was going on through his mind. When back at Shinra, Tifa was typically the only one who could tell when the general was as relaxed as he could get or when he was about to snap. She had always doubted that he had any other expressions, but he had just proven her wrong. His teal eyes were cloudy and a slight line of tension threatened to pull his lips into a smirk. It was a rather predatory look that Tifa had not witnessed in him before, especially when he looked at her. Forcing her mind to focus on the present danger, she looked away.

"I doubt I'm as high as you and Jenova on the wanted list so I'll distract them," she said brushing past him to look out the window. Tifa checked her watch, it was getting close to 5PM the time that the Turks called it a day. That shock of red fluff had to belong to the Reno of the Turks, all she had to do was run him around for another fifteen minutes and he would call it quits for the day. Unless they were directly guarding the higher Shinra officials the Turks refused to work overtime, much to the chagrin of anyone who had to deal with them; but when you had as much power as the Turks, you could make your own rules. Tifa had pulled on her gloves and was about to bound out the window when her head was yanked back. Sephiroth had grabbed a tight hold on her ponytail, using it like a handle pull her back away from the window. Whatever had been running through his mind was replaced with a scowl as he released her and hissed,

"Two hours." Tifa could only nod with a confused look on her face before flinging herself from the window. It was a good thing that her previous injuries had healed, though the was still a little sore. Her body landed with a heavy thud in a plastic recycling dumpster. The ignored the bruises and few cuts and climbed out. Normally she would have run as fast as she could, but she needed to make sure that all the Turks would follow her. The route for Sephiroth and Jenova was secured and since she was almost positive that it was Reno who was after her, his partner would sure be close by. It was not hard to feign a dazed trot down the alley as she was a little rattled from her fall and electric shock a few days earlier.

Tifa paused at the end of the alley pretending to catch her breath before wandering out into the main street. She did not get far before she collided with a solid figure. She stumbled a little before hands clasped on her wrists. Before she could even think to look at who was holding her, she brought her foot up to connect with the person's gut. It was not as soft as the average person's would be; nor was it as solid as someone with Shinra's training. Still, she heard the air vacate the person and she pulled herself free. She jogged a few steps away, ducking behind a store sign.

"Tifa?" a foreign voice called weakly after her. She dared to turn back to look, but the voice did not sound like Reno. Rude would never call after her like that. She checked her watch, fifteen more minutes. She stood up straight and continued to walk down the street. Every so often she would glance up like she was squinting into the sun, but she was checking rooftops for any sight of red hair or a shiny bald head. Even in the crowded street she could hear the footsteps behind her, doubling hers. She refused to walk any faster, as that would give her away. She would just deal with the person when they caught up with her. Leisurely she ducked down another alley and waited for the steps to round the corner.

Before her appeared a medium height and build. Pale cheeks were flushed as he had ignored his own pain to catch up with her. She waited patiently, scanning around for blue suits. The man in front of her could not have been affiliated with Shinra, so who was he. Crazy blonde hair and blue eyes stared at her, wide with wonder.

"Tifa I knew you were alive," he panted, still trying to catch his breath. Tifa gave no indication whether or not she knew who he was. There was something vaguely familiar about his voice, but that was it. "When no one back home heard from you for years, I left and went to Midgar to look for you but Shinra wouldn't let me near you." As he continued on Tifa she stared blankly at him. Apparently he was someone from her past, a past that she did not remember. He was a person she had lost and never known about until now. Or he could have been a Shinra plant. They knew that she had not memories of her past, it would have been easy to have anyone claim to be someone from her past.

"Ey Rude, looks like we got a two for one special," called the sly voice of Reno as he walked into the alley. Tifa still refused to have any reaction. This was actually a good thing, she could keep them busy until it was time for the Turks to call it quits and then be on her way.

"Three on one, sounds like Turk odds," Tifa hissed, dropping into a fighting stance. She still have five more minutes and wasting time talking was not her strong suit.

"C'mon babe, I usually save the triple team for the second date," Reno chuckled. "'Sides, this runt ain't with us." If the blonde wasn't with Shinra then who was he? He could not have been from Nibelheim, could he? He said he left home to look for her, but she did not have a home anymore.

"If you want a fight Reno we can do this, I beat you once I can do it again," the blonde said, blue eyes turning hard. From the harness on his back, he produced a large sword; not as long as Sephiroth's masamune but still rather impressive for someone his size.

"Look blondie, we'd love to play but we gotta get... Whoa Tits!" Reno exclaimed finally eyeing up Tifa's new appearance. "Yea, we gotta get Tits over there before the day is over."

"You're not taking Tifa, she's coming with me," the blonde snarled. Tifa spared a glance behind her to see Rude waiting patiently. The bald man was wearing the same expression that Tifa had seen on his face for many years, it mirrored her own, empty. He did not do anything except shrug once at Tifa, a small lifting of the shoulders.

"She has no idea who you are," Reno taunted. "She don't have any memories of before she came to Shinra."

"I don't believe you," the blonde hissed, eyes narrowed. "Turks'll say anything and do anything."

"Whatever man," Reno said, relaxing his hand where it had been tensed by his ERM. The redhead brushed some dust from his rumpled suit jacket and turned on his heels. "Yo, it's quittin' time partner. Later Tits... Oh, and if you don't believe me, ask her yourself Cloudy." With that the two Turks left and headed down the street. Their job the last thing on their minds. The work day was over and they could start again tomorrow. Cloud stood there confused.

"Did they just run away?" he asked turning to Tifa. Again he was met with a blank stare and a fighting stance. "I don't want to fight you, I just want to know what happened to you Tifa. It's been over ten years since I last saw you."

"I don't know who you are," Tifa said stoically. She started backing down the alley, she had to get to the safe house. She had two hours to get there or else Sephiroth would most likely starting tearing the base apart. Though stealth was not necessarily important to either of their goals, not having to fight a quarter of an army everywhere they went made things easier.

"Shiva, what the hell did they do to you," Cloud asked, eyes hardening with hatred. There was something Tifa had in common with the strange guy.

"It doesn't matter, I've already started my payback and divine retribution is coming," she said, a malicious smile cracking her hard features. With the Turks off her track for the night she could go, but what to do with the new character who appeared. She doubted that he could bring her memory back. She was not even sure that she wanted it back as it would only show her exactly what Shinra had taken from her. That was a rabbit hole that Tifa did not necessarily want to go down. Slowly she backed away, down the other end of the alley. She needed to get away from the blonde man named Cloud and back to the familiar. Sephiroth and Jenova were waiting for her.

"Wait, did you blow up the other reactors in Midgar and when can I see you again," Cloud asked. Tifa said nothing, just disappeared around the corner and on to a crowded street. When Cloud's muscles finally unfroze, he followed after her but it was too late. This was the third time he had lost Tifa.

98595050083ikfm9493

There was nothing pleasant about the Junon sewers: steam, stink, more steam, dampness, sweat, grime, filth, and vermin. For the fifth time, Tifa questioned why they had both agreed to meet in the sewers before heading to their other safe house. Granted it was a good location to check for any bugs the Turks may have been able to plant on them, but it was no place Tifa truly wanted to be. She could tell Sephiroth was of the same mindset when she saw him doing his best to not touch much. Those teal eyes were sharp and trained on her as she approached.

"A shame Buster can't be here," Tifa whispered, finding it odd that they had agreed to use the name of Zack Fair's sword instead of his real name, but that was how password phrases worked. Very few knew the name of the sword Zack's mentor had given to him.

"That incessant barking would have caused us trouble though," Sephiroth replied with the preordained words. "You just made it Lockheart."

"Had to get some supplies," she said tossing another bag to him. Sephiroth quickly opened it and peered inside. It was filled with small gadgets, bombs, and other piece of equipment. At first he thought that Tifa had found all of those to be tracking devices, but it dawned on him that she planned on taking parts from those things and working on Mother's tank. He lifted his head and stared at her expectantly. "Turks rarely lock their vehicles as they don't believe anyone would dare steal from them," she answered. "You clean?"

"Let's go," he said after a short nod to affirm that he had not found any tracking bugs on him. After another hour traipsing through the sewers the two arrived at their second hideout, a small, abandoned hotel. While there had been no real reasoning behind choosing it to begin with Tifa was glad that the place would most likely have running water. While in Soldier she could easily spend a week a swamp, but some of her tolerances were beginning to wear off with age. She wanted a shower, to get all the filth off her body. First things first though, the two split up to do a perimeter search. Tifa found the boiler and hot water tanks for the rooms. All but one had rusted through and broken except for one which barely and enough water for one person, let alone two to bathe. The pipes were labeled 'Panic Room.'

"There is an old panic room attached to the main suite, it's probably the best place to stay. Think you can disable the security systems for it," Sephiroth asked when the two met back up in the main lobby. It was true, all the rooms that Tifa had seen looked as if they belonged down in the sewer. "It's sealed up so nothing should have been able to get in."

"I can do it," she said wiping a sweat stained brow. It was unnaturally hot, but that could be attributed to the fact that half the basement was caved into the sewer and all the steam rose up to the hotel. "There isn't enough water for two separate showers."

"So we'll share."

* * *

"Boo Loveless, you're a jerk. Not again!"

-hangs head in shame-

-points at Cloud-

Hey, I would have gotten to the sex in this chapter but someone had to waste all my time chatting up Turks. How romantic, a half dilapidated hotel with not enough water. I say there isn't enough water but we all know that I'm going to write it as if there's enough water to cause another biblical flood. :)


	26. Earning the M Rating

Long opening comments:

I really want to thank all of you who have been reading this fic that I have been writing for over a year now. I know there have been long months without any updates, but you still stuck with me. Hoping against hope that I would continue. It's really because of all your reviews (be they good or bad) that I keep writing this. When I started it was just kinda something fun I wanted to do because I wanted to make my own story with prefabed characters and such. Since then, it's been you guys who have taken over it. There have been some really low points (we're not going to mention that really crappy chapter that replaces a fight scene ages ago). I've made some promises that I have yet to keep. Thank you from the bottom of my withered up heart (I am Lady Loveless after all).

And without any further delay I present to you the first part of the long waited for sex that I've promised. This is for you faithful one!

* * *

"Give me your water materia," Sephiroth commanded as Tifa sat cross-legged taking apart her pilfered items. Without a second thought she simply pulled off her armlet and tossed the whole thing to Sephiroth. He did not mind sharing a shower but they needed more water if they were going to rinse out some of their clothing as well. There had to be something he could do to get more water and the water materia, if controlled right would do the trick. Tifa happened to have a barrier materia in her armlet as well, though he could not recall a time when she had ever used it. Either way it was good to cast that on the water heater before the water spell as it would weaken the effects. By the time he had gotten the whole thing filled, he had wasted a good deal more MP than he had wanted to, but he doubted he would need to cast much magic in the near future. They still had about two days of hiding before they would check the shipping schedules. When he returned to the panic room, which Tifa had broken into and rewired so it would not close on them, he saw that she was done working on Jenova's container. He checked over her work, noting that the life support systems were better regulated and that soft but grating clinking was gone. Having Tifa with him was a good thing.

Tifa rose, gather both capes and hung them over the bar of the shower so the water would hopefully rinse some of the smell from them. She was planning on showering in her clothing to get them clean as well. Road dirt was one thing to deal with but filth and sewage would not sit well with her. Also, this would be the first time she would ever shower with another person. It was odd that she felt a little flutter in her stomach, making her wonder if she had gotten something down in the sewer. In the past, Hojo had seen her naked, but that all had to do with lab tests and such. She could not remember another person seeing her. So lost in thought and confusion Tifa stood staring at the shower, not moving a muscle.

Behind her Sephiroth watched with a hint of interest. _"The proverbial blushing bride."_ his mind supplied. Bride? Where had that come from? This was no different from the communal showers in the locker rooms at Shinra, she was just another body that would be close to him... Very close to him as the shower barely looked big enough for him. He was being ridiculous, she was his traveling companion and nothing more and this was purely out of necessity. While he had replenished much of the water it would not be enough for two separate showers. So why were they both hesitating? Two soldiers who had never experience fear, doubt, indecision, or a moment of hesitation were now wary to shower together. It would change nothing about their situation... would it? Sephiroth could not say with certainty that he would be able to resist the temptation as he had before. His new-found interest in her had awoken just that afternoon. This was nonsensical, he was still a man in control of himself and Tifa was still the woman who had broken after she learned that she was intended to be nothing but breeding stock. With that knowledge, he steeled his shoulders and strode purposefully towards that shower.

Tifa watched as he kicked off his boots and retrieved the soap and shampoo. It was practicality and not vanity that had made them realize that bottles of shampoo were necessary for them. Either would have been fine to wash their hair with the bar of soap, but neither of them had short hair and using the bar would have taken entirely too long. He wore only his black pants as Sephiroth never wore a shirt, which Tifa had never bothered to take notice of until now. Slowly she inched forward until she was standing next to him.

"In front," he commanded sternly, as any other tone would not have penetrated Tifa's distracted demeanor. After shucking her boots, Tifa stepped into the shower with Sephiroth at her back. She moved forward as much as she could, but had to bend over to turn the water on. Immediately, Sephiroth knew this was a terrible plan as her butt pressed into his crotch and he fought the urge to press closer to her. The initial blast of cold stale water changed his focal point, but the victory was short lived as Tifa straightened and shiver against him. She could only move a few inches forward, so for the most part they were going to be glued to each other. Looking for any distraction from Tifa's now soaked at see through white shirt, he passed her the shampoo and began working the soap into a lather for himself. He could only wash his upper body as bending over was not a option in the tiny shower. Tifa was short enough that he was able to thoroughly wet himself to begin washing. There was much banging of arms, elbows, heads, among other body parts. With an exasperated huff Tifa turned to face Sephiroth.

"We're not accomplishing anything, not with us both moving around so much," she began strongly but dropped to a whisper with her next statement. "You wash me, I'll wash you," she suggested. Her words vaguely registered with Sephiroth as his eyes were glued to her breasts. It was only when she removed the soap from his hands and indicated that he turn around that he was brought back to reality. Begrudgingly he complied and was he sure glad that he did. Small but strong hands worked the soap along the muscles and knots in his back, sliding lower and then hesitating. Tifa took a deep breath, gathered more soap and moved on to Sephiroth's ass. Sephiroth was a broad man, but it tapered down slightly and joined with a muscled butt. She could feel him move beneath her hands, fighting to relax but unable. He did not have much, but it filled her hand and was enough to squeeze, which she did without thinking.

"Having fun Lockheart?" he questioned, trying to stay calm. He wondered if she knew how maddening her touch was. From the quick movements of her hands to his hamstrings, he guessed that she did not. In order to reach lower, Tifa dropped to her knees, soaping the back of his legs.

"Turn," she said gazing up at him. Sephiroth bit back a guttural groan at the sight of Tifa, water running down her scantily clad body, dark hair plastered to her face and back, on her knees before him. It was any man's wet dream but his reality. Not even the cold water, which had hardened her large nipples to stiff peaks under the sham of a shirt, could stop his body's reaction. He had kept himself in check so far, but he was painfully hard and there was no way to hide it now. Tifa did not seem to take notice as she immediately bent her head and went to work washing his legs, using the material of his pants to work the soap into his skin. Steadily she moved upwards until confronted with her next challenge. Did she was his crotch or not? This had all been her suggestion so she had to continue on with what she started.

Sephiroth made no move to stop her, as he was entirely too far beyond reason to be bothered. Her small hand rubbed soap into his hips and eventually found his cock. He instinctively thrust against her hand, searching for more friction. She had seen many penises in Hojo's lab, but never had she touched one, held it in her hand as she was Sephiroth's. She rubbed him, felt the length and girth of him, and marveled at powerful symbol of masculinity. Ruby eyes moved up to meet his teal ones. Again that predatory and glazed over look was in his eyes. She continued to stroke him through his pants, eyes never leaving his. Her breathing hitched as his did, heart speeding up. Suddenly the cold shower was growing warmer and warmer. When Tifa took her hand back, Sephiroth slumped against the wall, trying to relearn breathing. His respite was short lived with Tifa's hands attacked the buckle of his pants. She had to see what she was touching, what had caused this reaction to her. It was the same reaction that watching the man and woman have sex had caused. Her body was hot and a tingling sensation was growing between her legs.

"What are you doing," Sephiroth asked catching her chin and forcing her to look up at him. She ignored his question and continued on with her work. No other dick that she had seen had caused her to feel this way, but all the others had been in a different setting: the lab, tending to a battlefield injury, or in a textbook. He groaned as he was finally freed from the tight confines of his pants. Slowly her hands wrapped around him, tentatively stroking the thick piece of flesh. She was shocked at the sheer size of him; the velvet wrapped steel member had to be over nine inches long and thick enough that her thumb and middle finger could barely close around it. Fingers danced lightly up to the wide head, swiping over the slit at the tip of him. Water was quickly washing away the sticky white drops that were forming there. Tifa's mind flashed back to the couple. She had seen the woman stroke the man's dick a few times before taking it in her mouth. Should she do the same thing? Did Sephiroth want that? Did she want that? Afterall, Shinra had created her for the purpose of doing what she was doing now, engaging in sexual acts with Sephiroth. Would she be fulfilling their will or her own? For once Tifa wanted to live and make her own choices, walk her own path, and if that involved Sephiroth for the moment, then so be it.

"Tifa," Sephiroth hissed as her mouth closed over his head, sliding further down his shaft. This had gone too far and both of them were powerless to stop it. One of the main reasons Shinra provided the soldiers with many outlets for their sexual needs was that Mako treatments made the needs more demanding. Rather than having soldiers terrorize the women of Midgar, it was much easier to keep the Honey Bee Inn on retainer and allow the soldiers leave to go there. Tifa had never had an outlet, she was over twenty years old and a virgin. Normally, her being a virgin would have caused him to lose interest enough to push her away, but he found her curiosity and initiation of the blow job arousing. She was a fast learner. All it took was a twitch of his hips or a sharp intake of breath for her to pick up speed or slow down, to suck harder or toy with the tip more. His hands rested lightly on her head, helping direct her. He was long, but Tifa seemed determined to fit his entire dick in her mouth and down her throat. At first he doubted that she could do it, this being her first time, but when he felt her lips connect with his body and her cheeks hollow out he could not hold back any longer.

She felt his balls tighten as cum flooded her throat and mouth. Sephiroth growled as Tifa pulled back, unable to swallow any more and let the rest land on her face and breasts. When he looked down at the mess he had made of her face, he could not stop himself from becoming hard again instantly, another side effect of Mako treatments. Tifa licked her lips and stood, wiping his cum from his face. It tasted odd, not bad, not good, just different. She wanted to drop to her knees and suck him again, but she doubted they had enough water for that and she did want to be clean. Her skin was still flushed and an inferno was blazing at her core, but she had ignored the feeling before.

Before she could open her mouth to speak, Sephiroth seized her around the waist, pulling her violently against him. His hand moved down to grab and knead her ass before sliding further to lift her by the backs of her legs. Tifa was left with no other choice but to wrap her legs around him, which left them both moaning. The action had opened up her pussy to him and his dick was currently rubbing lightly against her panty clad clit. Tifa had never felt that sensation before, her body trembled and bolt after bolt of pure pleasure shot through her. Sephiroth watched as she leaned back in his arms, mouth agape, panting. Her chest of opened for attack, which he did enthusiastically. His mouth latched on to her left breast suckling and nibbling her through the thin material of the shirt. If Tifa thought it had been hot before, now she was surely roasting in Ifrit's Hellfire attack. Her hands clawed at the offending material until, with Sephiroth's help, she peeled it over her head. The bra was next and Sephiroth was finally rewarded by being able to taste bare flesh. The sounds that fell from Tifa's mouth encouraged him further, but reason pushed its way to the surface of his mind. He tore his mouth from her left nipple and leaned back. The maddening pressure between their sexes was still there but he had to stop.

"What do you want," he asked, though he was not quite sure what the context truly was. Tifa regained herself a little at the question. She did not want to think, she wanted to be lost in the frenzy, to do what so many people did on a regular basis. She wanted to be a person instead of Speciem 0128. Sephiroth took a deep breath and set her down. He indicated that she should turn around which confused Tifa. Had she done something wrong? Tifa complied and almost jumped out of her skin when Sephiroth grabbed her arms and braced them on the wall before her. With soap in his hands he began to wash her back, blunt nails leaving lines of fire in their wake. Tifa writhed and shivered under his touch. He found it odd that he was at peace with his actions. Sephiroth was never one to waste time on caresses. He was much more to business usually, choosing to sate his biological needs quickly. With Tifa he was more eager to see her responses than to get off himself. Hands soaped her hips, pulling her skirt and panties down, dancing dangerously closer to her mound.

"Is this what you want?," he asked brushing against her. Her hitched breath and soft moans drove him on. His large hand cupped her entire pussy, pressing roughly against her. "Have you touched yourself wishing it was someone else?" His other hand traveled up to her breast to roughly toy with it, teeth sunk into her shoulder, marking her. Her ragged sobs echoed off the walls of the panic room. With one deft finger he parted her, seeking that small nub. One touch and she was undone, legs collapsing, soaking his hand in her juices. Sephiroth caught her around the waist and raised his hand to his mouth before the water could wash it away. The first taste was his, but the second he presented to her, pushing his fingers into her mouth and watching her suck wantonly.

When her legs would support her, he let her go, still facing the wall. It was his turn to drop to his knees, soaping her legs. He turned her around as he moved up and lifted her right leg to rest on his shoulder. There was no romance in his actions, only hunger. His mouth latched on to pussy, his tongue devouring her. Tifa's hands fisted in Sephiroth's hair, holding him to her as he broke her again.

"M-more," she panted on the verge of another shattering orgasm. He rolled his eyes up to watch her twitch and spasm. More of Tifa's juices were his reward.

"Oh you'll get more," he said leering down at her. Her face was red, eyes glazed over with lust, and she was out of breath but clearly Tifa was not sated yet and neither was he. Briefly, they were distracted by the sputtering shower head, that promptly ran out of air.

"I guess that ends the shower," Tifa muttered absently, fingers still laced in Sephiroth's hair. Her breathing was calming down, but the fire in her loins still burned.

* * *

So apparently Sephiroth can get a little chatty during sex, but what's better than a villain whispering in you ear while pleasuring your body.

-drools-

Mmmm Sephiroth.

So I got really repetitive somewhere in there but I'll do better in the next chapter. But two days, two chapters, that's gotta be worth something... and one of them contains the smut that I've been promising. The next chapter should too... I won't make promises about this one though.

Sorry about getting a little sappy in the beginning, but I'm really grateful to you guys and seriously needed to get this done.

R&R

~Lady Loveless


	27. Chapter 27

This is a little on the short side, but eh... what do you want from me? I've come to the realization that I need a partner and a beta. I want to start putting in parts about Avalanche but I don't know what I want them to do (besides the obvious). What do you guys think about Tifa leaving Sephiroth for a little bit of time? It would give me the chance to put more Sephiroth/Jenova interaction... I'm not sure. Anywho, read and review. They'll go do something in the next chapter.

* * *

Although the shower had been nothing but distractions, the two did have one thing they needed to accomplish. Clothing and hair was wrung out and set to dry. Again, Sephiroth realized that the two had a serious lack of foresight when they decided to have all of their clothing in the shower with them. Tifa too saw the error in their decision as she bent over to grab her boots. The duo would have to air dry in the buff, not that they could not find something else to occupy them in the meantime. As much as he wanted to curse their planning, he could not stop the wolfish look that crossed his face as he watched Tifa bend over. Her well-formed ass stuck in the air and with her legs about six inches apart he got an inviting look at her pussy. A little voice in the back of his mind told him that he should back off, that Tifa was better than a piece of ass, but clearly that little voice was not looking out the same eyes that he was. Three steps and he was behind her. His still hard cock pressed to her opening as thick arms wrapped around her waist.

"Tell me no, Lockheart," Sephiroth said, rubbing himself against her. A smile that he never saw, crossed Tifa's lips as she pushed back. In one swift motion she completely buried him inside of her, tearing her hymen in the process. In that flash, she got her revenge against Hojo. He had wanted her to remain pure until he deemed it necessary. If Sephiroth impregnated her, which she doubted, it would be her child. The babe would never know the cruelty of lies and experiments if the world lasted that long. The pain was instant and blinding. While Tifa did not utter a single sound, Sephiroth felt her body tense up with the pain. He had always figured that training had destroyed her hymen years ago. Apparently, Hojo had made sure that did not happen or had repaired it each time. The man was truly sick; but, it was difficult to remain focused on a madman when he was enveloped by the tight delicious heat that was Tifa's pussy. For a few more seconds neither of them moved. Again it was Tifa who began to gently thrust, acclimating herself to the sensation of fullness.

"Fuck," she muttered moving a little faster. The pain was starting to ebb only to be replaced with pleasure. Each thrust onto his cock made her pant a little faster and stoked the fire in her lions. Tifa decided that she could get used to that, if she had the choice of having sex or getting things done she probably would behave like the couple she had spied on. Sephiroth was a little on the large side for her to be completely comfortable, so she began to swivel her hips with each thrust hoping that would make it a little easier for her. What she found was that it caused the head of his cock to rub up against an overly sensitive spot that she had never realized was there. Cries that she had bit her lip to prevent now feel from her lips in an endless and incoherent stream of disjointed thoughts. Tifa increased her speed, not caring whether or not Sephiroth was enjoying anything. She raced towards her own pleasure, pounding herself against him until the steady slap of flesh filled the room.

"Tifa," he groaned, sliding on hand up to roughly palm her breast. The other traveled further south to find her clit. The louder Tifa moaned, the harder he felt himself become. She was impossibly tight, almost to the point of pain. Her pussy squeezed and milked him for all he was worth. The only thing that made it possible for him to continue fucking her without pain was how wet she had become. Briefly he was thankful for the road that led Tifa here with him. Though he wanted to turn the tables, he was enjoying her initiation and fervor far too much. As he watched her breasts bounce and sway, he wondered how he had ever ignored them in battle.

"H-Harder," Tifa pleaded. Sephiroth snapped out of his thoughts and became a more active participant. Both of his hands locked on her hips as he slammed his cock into her. He made sure to hit every overly sensitive spot he could. With a shout, Tifa came for the third time.

"I'm not done with you yet," Sephiroth whispered darkly. He pulled himself out of her slowly, enjoying each twitch, shiver, and moan. As he lifted her to carry her to the cot they found he muttered in her ear, "I'm going to fuck you until you pass out Lockheart. I want you on your back, legs over my shoulders, while I pound your tight pussy." Tifa shivered at the lewd nature of his words and the anticipation of promises to be fulfilled. A wanton attitude overcame Tifa as she was set down on the cot with a small bounce. With her legs hanging over the edge, she leaned back on her elbows. She brought her feet up to rest on the bed and spread her legs wide, inviting Sephiroth closer. For a moment Sephiroth was unable to do anything but stare. Wet hair still clung to her shoulders and hung over her breasts. "Tell me what you want."

"I want you here," she whispered, trailing a hand down her body to slip two fingers inside of herself. "I want you to fuck me as you said you would." Her words and actions unraveled him. He dropped to his knees before her, hands clamping down on her thighs. Roughly, he pulled her close enough to impale on his length. Tifa threw her head back and howled to the ceiling. Each thrust was a delicious punishment, one she welcomed with lidded eyes and pants. She watched him. Never before had she seen Sephiroth with that look. His face was relaxed, almost happy; his breath came out in short pants that were punctuated with groans or growls. Sephiroth had always been the picture of stoicism. Now, her hands reached out to trace the hard planes of his face, taut lines that were now soft. She had done that to him. That thought empowered Tifa and sent a fresh wave of arousal roiling through her.

Sephiroth, who sensed her increased vigor though he did not know the cause, brought her left leg up to rest on his shoulder. Tifa was forced to lean back by a large hand mauling her breast. He scooted her back on the bed so that she was laying on her back, leg over his shoulder still. With a smile Sephiroth took her other leg and brought it over his shoulder as well. Tifa squealed in delight. He was driving much deeper into her now, bottoming out at her cervix. Nails dug crescent shapes in his forearms, shoulders, and back. Sephiroth picked up his pace, racing towards his own end. His hands left bruising marks on Tifa's legs. With a guttural groan Sephiroth spent himself inside of Tifa, with her following him seconds after.

The two collapsed on the small cot. Breathlessly they rearranged themselves so that Tifa was half laying on Sephiroth. No words were shared between the two only the gentle rumble of Tifa's belly was heard. Now that she was no longer distracted she was reminded that she had not eaten yet. Morning and early afternoon had been spent on her rooftop and early evening running from Turks and in the sewer. The old hotel did have multiple escapes above ground it had just suited their purpose better to enter from the sewers. She crawled from the bed towards her bag to retrieve some of the food they carried with them. Standing was not an option as a dull ache was forming at the apex of her thighs and she could feel each fingermark left on her legs and hips. Sephiroth watched her from the corner of his eye, mildly pleased with her discomfort. As the endorphins started to fade he noticed his own aches and pains. Small rivers of drying blood dripped from his arms and ran down his back, nothing that was more than a minor annoyance.

He wondered how Lockheart would react when it finally hit here. It was almost as if having sex was her final rebellion against Shinra, against Hojo. Tifa has always looked at the madman as a father figure. She had followed every order, endured each torturous test, and continued smiling at him the entire time. He knew that she had once fought him for the attention of the scientist and now she had turned her back on all of that. She had forsaken him, knowing that she would never go back. Again Tifa had lost everything, even the lies that she had built a life around had crumbled around her. Morose thoughts were difficult to hold on to in the afterglow.

As Tifa sat there eating her snack she wondered if she should return to the bed with Sephiroth. Lying next to him seemed a little odd, but her clothing would take a few more hours to dry. She could always tinker with Jenova's tank for a little while longer, again that did not seem appealing. The couple she had watched laid in bed for hours after having sex. She and Sephiroth did not have much else to do, perhaps she could go to sleep. Again that put her next to him, which she was not apposed to. What would Sephiroth think?

"How long are you going to sit there," he asked. Still lying on his back and staring at the ceiling. Tifa did not bother to ask, only crawled back over to him and onto the bed. She laid on her back with her hands loosely clasped over her stomach. She would have put her arms behind her head but Sephiroth had already adopted that posture and there was no room for her to do the same.

"Sephiroth," she asked decided to break the silence that had descended upon them for the past several minutes. While he offered no verbal acknowledgment she knew he was listening. "Where are we headed to next?"

"To find the Keystone to open the Temple of the Ancients."

* * *

What did you expect, cuddling? I guess they are but I'm a personal believer of a great question "You were just inside of me, can I have some personal space now?" Whatever. So they had some sex, now they have to get back to business. Again, I like a verbal Sephiroth but I'm just that kinda girl.

~Loveless


	28. Chapter 28

I'm sorry. I got a smart phone and have not been on my actual computer in weeks. That and I also had no idea how to finish this chapter. I thought it was a great idea to split them up and go on with the events on the game but I now realize that's a tall order. Anywho, it'll continue that way at least until the Forgotten Capitol. (That chapter is already written because I love spoilers... yes, I can have spoilers for a story that I'm writing.) This is a little on the shorter side and as usual nothing has been edited before posting. If anyone has any suggestions for a beta, I desperately need one.

As usual, I don't own anything and make no money from this. My only payment comes from your reads and reviews.

* * *

"There are two freighters leaving for Costa del Sol; one is leaving this evening and the other tomorrow," Tifa said pulling her boots on. She had left early that morning to gather that intelligence and returned promptly. Other matters had arisen and the information had slipped her mind for a few hours. Fully dressed in her new favorite outfit, and Sephiroth's too, she was preparing to leave their safe-house. "It would be better for you to go ahead tonight. With that Avalanche group here as well Shinra will have to divide their attention in three. Since you, Jenova, and I do not exist they will be forced to focus the majority of their visible troupes on Avalanche giving you the chance to get Jenova out of here without any problems. I might catch up with you."

Tifa began to pack her things, unsure if she would ever see Sephiroth again. Her chest felt hollow. It was an odd sensation, making her wish that she would take back all the words she had just said and continue to travel at his side. That was not an option, she had given the command and that was the end of it. There were other things she had to do as well. Hojo had to be taken care of and then there was the Cloud character. He seemed to be the only person not affiliated with Shinra who knew who she was and claimed to have known her when... Well, when she was not with Shinra. Did she need to know more about that, did she want to know? Since Hojo was not in Junon and Cloud was, she figured she could find him tonight. First she would see Sephiroth off. The freighter was due to leave harbor at 7PM so there would be no Turks for him to deal with.

"Don't die Lockheart," Sephiroth said as she passed through the doorway, causing her to pause.

"Not until God himself says so," she replied smiling back at him. Sephiroth watched her walk out the door. He still had not moved from his reclined position on his back. A wave of anger roiled through him, disappearing as quickly has it had shown up.

"_Worry not my son, she is not gone. We shall see her again,"_ a high pitched voice whispered through his head. _"We must focus now, there is much work to be done."_

"Yes, Mother," Sephiroth replied smiling. He knew that as long as Mother were with him, things would work out according to plan. He had absolute faith in her when she said that Tifa would return. Ever since their reawakening and journey out of the Lifestream, Sephiroth had begun to see Tifa as a constant in his life. She and Mother were the only two who he would allow to stand at his side and take orders from. They were his constants in a world in constant flux. At least he still had Mother at his side.

Slowly, he sat up, feeling each protesting muscle. Tifa proved to be a rough bedmate, the teeth and nail marks on his back and chest testified to that. A small debate waged in his head on whether or not to use a potion to prevent her marks from becoming scars. He decided against it, they would serve as his reminder that he had possessed Tifa for even a brief moment in time. Was he getting sentimental? No, at least he would never admit it to himself. Pants were pulled on, followed by boots and his cloak. Tifa had offered to find Sephiroth another disguise, since the first one had been destroyed by a "spoiled" fire materia casting itself. He had declined and opted to tie is hair back and wear a cloak. He had nothing to hide from, only Shinra would bother with him. The rest of the world had accepted that he had gone missing and forgot about him. Had not he been a hero and butcher to many of them? Did they give up on their heroes so quickly? Soon they would be forced to remember him, if only briefly before their destruction.

He had been to Junon to many times, to be impressed with the town. It was the same slightly run down military base that he remembered. Teal eyes were kept sharp for any sign of Shinra patrolmen or Turks, none were around. The fanfare must have been over. No doubt there would be more later on, as Rufus Shinra was always known for being a megalomaniac. In truth, Shinra was a company whose cornerstone was extreme egomania. They also had the power to back that up as well. The dock was not far from the dilapidated hotel and it was almost time for the ship to leave. Sneaking onto a cargo ship was not a difficult task, even for someone with no stealth training. It was going to be a long trip across the ocean to Costa del Sol. Mother had quieted down during the journey and was trying to locate the Keystone that they needed to enter the Temple of the Ancients.

Xoxoxoxo

"Who are you," Tifa demanded from her spot hidden amongst the cargo. She had watched the blonde named Cloud and his Avalanche companions board the freighter that she was on and stalked them for a few hours. Curiosity had gotten the better of her and watching from the shadows was not enough. The blonde had claimed to know her from her previous life. What did she hope to find out though? She had been a child, weren't all children the same? Tifa rarely interacted with children, only on fanfare missions with Zack and Sephiroth. Confused eyes looked around, searching for the source of the question. Tifa had chosen a location that would echo, making it more difficult for them to find her. There was the blonde, Cloud, a large black man with a gun for an arm, a brunette in a pink dress, and a reddish-orange lion-type creature.

"Tifa?" Cloud asked after hushing the others. They wanted to know what was going on and where the voice came from. "It's me, Cloud Strife from Nibelhiem, we grew up together. We're not your enemies."

"Everyone is an enemy," she stated walking out from her hiding spot. She made sure to keep them all within her line of sight, no telling who would try to attack her. If they did, she would kill them on the spot and dump their bodies in the ocean. The lion sniffed the air, catching her scent. He recognized her from Hojo's labs. The hair on the back of his neck stood up and a low growl trickled from his snarling lips. The man with the gun arm eyed her warily, trying to place her face.

"Wait, you're Tifa? Tifa Lockheart?" the woman in pink asked. Tifa, who had dropped into a fighting stance, only inclined her head an inch. "You were in Soldier? Then surely you must have known a fried on mine, his name was Zack Fair." Every muscle in Tifa's body froze. Zack Fair, it had been so long. How did this girl know Zack? Could she have been the girlfriend that Zack had always wanted to introduce her to? Tifa kept her face blank because she knew what would come next if she let them know that she had known Zack. The woman, Aeris, would want to know what happened to him and Tifa did not have all the answers. Most of what had occurred in Nibelheim was a mystery to both she and Sephiroth. All either of them remembered was waking up after being spit out of the Lifestream with rage and revenge dominating their thoughts.

"There are a lot of Soldiers," was her cold reply.

"You murderin' bitch," Barret shouted, raising his gun. "All them people!" Aeris stepped in front of him, blocking his shot. Tifa might not have known Zack or her, but Aeris knew of Tifa. From what Zack had told her Tifa was a mixed up person, who didn't have any long term memory. Also her short term memory was terrible to things not related to training or her missions. He had explained that Tifa was prone to forgetting any outings that she would go on in her free time, which was rare to begin with. Something was not right about the female Soldier.

"Tifa," the blond known as Cloud began as Aeris tried to soothe Barret. "Is what Reno said true? You don't have any memories?"

"I have memories and you are in none of them. Now tell me who you are, all of you," she demanded.

"I'm Cloud Strife, we grew up together. That's Red XIII, Barret's over there, and Aeris."

"You may not have known Zack but he knew you," Aeris smiled. She would tell the others all that she knew about Tifa at a later time. "He considered you a friend." Tifa had nothing to say, there was nothing she could have said.

"We have the same objective, to see Shinra destroyed. I have more information on them then you do," she stated. Tifa was the sum of her breeding. "Where are you headed?"

"Right now, we're just on the run and trying to regroup," Cloud answered.

"Ya' too damn trustin'" Barret snarled at Cloud. "She's Shinra." Tifa laughed, she could not help it.

"I haven't been Shinra in a long time. Did you think you had some magic power to blow up reactors in Midgar?" She asked glaring back. She could not blame him for holding so much hate for her, she had been Shinra, once upon a life.

"While you do not smell entirely innocent, I can smell that you bear no malice towards us," Red said lowering his guard to sit on his haunches. He still kept an eye on Tifa because he had not forgotten his quarrel with her. It appeared that she did not know any of their small group, which he found to be quite odd. Cloud had told them that Reno had said that Tifa had no memories of her youth. Either the young woman had chosen to forget or Shinra had taken them from her. It was no uncommon and he had learned of a number of test subjects that Hojo had done that to. Perhaps Tifa had been one of them. "We are headed to Cosmo Canyon, my home. They contain the most extensive records of the Planet."

"I will join you," Tifa said. She knew that Hojo had a few secret labs in that area, perhaps she would be able t find the madman there.

Xoxoxoxoxo

The Corel region was a waste land. Sephiroth looked down at the ramshackle settlement of survivors. He had not been assigned to deal with the town, but he knew what had happened. It had been Tifa's first solo mission after making 1st Class. She had been sent out with the Turks to eliminate the town as they had been deemed hostile by Shinra after the destruction of the reactor. There was nothing left, not even materials with which to rebuild. The town had been burned down and most of the townspeople killed. He had not seen such destruction since Wutai. He had assumed that Nibelheim had been worse but, his memory was all but gone from that event. The only thought that ran through his mind was of how Shinra had truly created something that rivaled him. Tifa had been an experiment and she must have exceeded expectations.

"_Why dwell on such things,"_ Jenova whispered through his mind. Sephiroth had no answers. He had his mission but Tifa continued to seep into his thoughts. A part of him wanted to know why she did not hate him as she hated the rest of Shinra. He had not denied knowing the reason for her being placed in the Soldier program. He had been present for all the meeting regarding her progress, he had known, yet she did not blame him.

"_Sephiroth, my son, she knows you are to be a god. Why would she cross you when she could kneel at your feet?"_

"We must get the black materia," Sephiroth stated, forcing himself to focus on his objective rather than Tifa. He would see her again, Mother had promised that much but for now he had Mother and a mission.

* * *

Shorter than I had planned but still done. More Sephiroth and Jenova to come. I also have another Seph/Ti fanfiction in the works but I believe it's going to be a one shot, more like an alternative way of looking at Sephiroth's madness.

Loveless


	29. Chapter 29

So instead of finishing this chapter a few days ago, I decided to outline all the way to the end of disc one. So, give or take a chapter or twelve, there will be about 35 chapters from the beginning of this fic to that point. It's only been what? Two years since I started this thing and that's all the further I've gotten. I've also run into another problem. I plan on bringing in Hollander, Genesis, and Angeal... The problem is, I'm kind of a glutton for Tifa/Genesis fics so hopefully he won't steal her from Sephiroth. Ugh... Anywho R&R

* * *

"Well, we didn't really play together much cause you were always with the other kids and your dad wasn't the biggest fan of me," Cloud explained sitting as close to Tifa as she would allow him to be. "One time you were crossing the bridge to Mt. Nibel when it collapsed. I was behind you trying to protect you but you wouldn't listen to me. You were in a coma for a while and I only skinned my knees. You're dad was so mad that he forbade me to see you."

"That's idiotic," Tifa deadpanned. She had only been half listening to Cloud. He was telling her stories to try to bring back her memory; what he did not realize was that the Tifa he was talking about no longer existed. She had died in Hojo's labs where the new Tifa had been born only to die in Nibelhiem. It appeared that her life was just spinning in circles. The destruction that Sephiroth and Jenova would bring was a welcome break in the cycle.

"I thought so at the time but he was just worried about you."

"You should disguise yourselves," Tifa mentioned, changing the subject and addressing the group. They had been fascinated by Cloud's attempt to test Tifa's memory. He had poured out countless details on their lives in the small mountain village and Tifa had only stared blankly at him, offering only trivial commentary. The warmhearted girl that Cloud described was not sitting before them and only Cloud seemed blind to that fact. He thought that if he tried hard enough he could erase the present and bring the past back to life. "Some of the sailors keep spare uniforms on the third deck supply room, or on the first deck, there might even be some down here in the cargo hold."

"Giving us more than one option to prove it's not a trap," the lion Red XIII stated. Tifa shrugged and rose.

"You don't know me and I don't know you, it would be moronic for us to trust each other," she said with her back to the group. The coast was within sight and she could begin looking for Hojo's other labs. She knew he had one under the ocean but she was unsure which continent that was on. There were others and she planned on destroying them all. Hojo was not dead. Some of the injuries she had given could have been life threatening but she was sure that he would find a way to survive. His two favorite specimen were back for him to capture and study.

* * *

The Nibelhiem mountain range loomed overhead as Sephiroth continued on his trek. This was where it had all begun, he had been reborn that night in the Shinra mansion. That night, he had found Mother and turned his back on both Shinra and humanity. To think, his awakening would never have happened had he not followed Tifa into that library. If she had not questioned her life first, he would never have questioned his. In a way, he owed everything to her but she was gone, possibly for good. He had no idea what her plans were, only that she would make Hojo and Shinra suffer. Rufus Shinra had chosen a bad time to rise to president of his father's company.

Nibelhiem was not a place Sephiroth cared to set foot in but it was a necessary step on the way. He expected Shinra to wipe the town on the face of the planet as it had done Corel but apparently that had not been the case. The town looked the same as the day that he and Tifa had set foot there. Something was off, weird. Very few people moved about but there were glimpses of motion here and there. Black cloaks. There off in the corners and alleys were shapes that vaguely resembled humans who donned black capes, much like he and Tifa did. It was a quandary, but one he did not care to examine. He moved quickly through the town and to the mountains only to see that some of the figures were following him.

"What are they," he asked.

"_Creatures, inferior to even humans,"_ Jenova hissed. _"Most likely some abomination created by Hojo, a perversion of you."_ Jenova's words were half-truths, though the Calamity was unaware of that. In a flash of metal, Sephiroth cut down the ones who stood near him. Best to end their pathetic lives now. He did not both to life the cloaks away, as he had no desire to see what the madman had created. _"The Temple of the Ancients requires a key to open it, we must locate that key my son."_

"Yes Mother," Sephiroth replied. "There must be someone on this planet who knows about it."

"_There must be a place that contains records of the Ancients."_

"I have heard that the people of Cosmo Canyon have studied the planet for centuries," Sephiroth informed her. "Perhaps there we may find something about the key needed to enter the Temple of the Ancients."

"_Even with the key, entering the temple may prove to be difficult."_

"It shouldn't be for two such as us, the last of our people."

"_Humans, my son, humans are the cause of all hardship for the planet and us. It is possible they have found a way to prevent those such as us from going in."_ If only Sephiroth could understand that Jenova was carefully choosing her words to avoid lying to him but twisting the truth as well. She knew well what she was and that was no Ancient, nor was she human and there for could not enter the temple. No doubt there were safety precautions in place to prevent her from entering and Sephiroth as well because he contained a large number of her cells. The Calamity was a parasite who would use Sephiroth as a host until it feed from the life energy of the planet. She would use him as Shinra had, but Sephiroth did not know that. Jenova was his salvation, his past, his present, and his future. She had opened his mind to all the lies that Shinra had fed him, and offered him something no one else had, family.

"Then we must find Lockheart," Sephiroth offered as a solution. While Tifa did contain a large number of Jenova's cells as well, hers were less concentrated than his. The problem was, locating her. He knew that she should be in or outside of Costa del Sol by now, but he had no idea of what her bearings would be.

"_There is an easy way to find her. Initiate the Reunion."_

"What is that?" Sephiroth asked, though he was not suspicious that Mother was up to no good.

"_It is something unique to my cells, that causes them to seek out other similar cells. They are drawn to each other as are the beings that hold them. Since both you and Tifa are part of me, initialing this process will allow you two to find each other. It is what led you to me in Nibelhiem, how both you and Tifa knew the way to the reactor even though her memories had been wiped clean and you had never been there before," _Jenova explained.

"Perhaps we should wait to use something so strong. We aren't even sure that we need her just yet," Sephiroth reasoned. Tifa had her own mission and his pride made him loathe asking for help from anyone. In the end, if it were for the sake of Mother and his almost extinct race, he would beg of anyone for help to accomplish Mother's wish.

The bathroom was locked, the red cat/lion was gone, Cloud and Aeris had gone shopping for weapons, leaving Tifa alone sitting on a couch in the rooms that they were renting. Sitting around was not something that she had ever been fond of, there was always something she could do. Rising to her feet, Tifa proceeded to begin her Katas, ones that she had somehow known before beginning her training in Soldier. She did not want to leave their rooms as the others would probably think that she was meeting up with Shinra somewhere. Did she really care if they did? No, but she wanted to see if some of Cloud's stories would jog her memories. He might be the key to her past life, something that she was curious to know before she died.

"Tifa," Cloud all but shouted as he came bursting through the door. Tifa did not pause in her motions once. If it was that urgent he would tell her regardless of her visible attentiveness. "Tifa, he's here... Hojo." If Cloud kept speaking to her, Tifa had not heard him. Her mind was solely focused on one thing. Hojo was in Costa del Sol. Vaguely she wondered just how he could recover enough to take a vacation, but that did not matter. She had a score to settle with him and if he was completely healed from their last encounter that meant she could have the same amount of fun. The door slammed behind her as Cloud and Aeris watched her go.

"Scary," Aeris muttered.

Sand was annoying at best, but the bothersome mineral went unnoticed by Tifa as she stalked through the resort town looking for her number one enemy, her betrayer. Normally, she would have donned her cloak and tried to remain hidden. But Tifa, like Sephiroth, was often single-minded to the point to destruction. The only place left to search was the beach, which was where she found the pale, cesspool, called Hojo. Roughly, she grabbed him by the hair and began hauling away from the beach, away from watching eyes. Apparently, that was not an uncommon sight on the beach as no one bothered to interfere. There was no time to secure a safe location so a somewhat hidden alley would have to do. If someone came looking she could dispose of them or allow Hojo to live a little longer. As there were still other laboratories of his she wanted him to be alive to see trashed, the latter seemed more likely.

"What are you doing here," she demanded in a cold voice. Hojo had not even screamed as she pulled him along.

"Perhaps you were not as great of a test subject as I let myself believe," he responded, studying her with a critical eye.

"You should still be recovering."

"O128, you should know better by now, you've let emotion cloud you judgement. Did you think that I would not be prepared for your return, kill this clone if you like, but it is not me," he laughed. Rage blossomed anew in Tifa. So Hojo had cloned himself and all she had tortured was another experiment.

"Then you'll all suffer," she smirked. She would kill each and every one of them until she found the real Hojo. "Where are your other labs?"

"Sephiroth is not with you?" Old jealousy filled her mind. Again she was before him and his greatest threat and he was thinking about Sephiroth. Only for a brief moment had she been number one in her "father's" eyes. She cursed them both. Was she always to be second? Her hands clamped closed on the clones neck. She would learn nothing further from him. The only ones who would know the secret location of the other labs would be the Turks. They were the eyes and ears on the walls of Shinra, if they did not know about it, it did not exist. As much as she did not want to seek them out, they were her only option.

* * *

Being that I now have an outline, I might actually be able to get chapters up faster. Cross your fingers and hope that Square's character do what I want them to do.

~Loveless


	30. Chapter 30

New chapter! As this is a halfway alternate universe fic I reserve the right to change game events as I see fit.

Square owns all though.

* * *

"A-A A man by the name of Dio has it," stammered the a thin old man. His frail frame shook as he cowered. Though the noonday sun blazed through the windows, the tall form of Sephiroth was shrouded in its own shadows.

"Dio?" intoned the almost mechanical voice of the once famous general. The name vaguely rang a bell but he was not sure. It had been years since he had thought of names that did not involve Shinra employees. He could still name all of them as if he had just sat through a dull boardroom meeting with them. Whoever this Dio was, he had the Keystone. Sephiroth would hunt the man to the ends of the planet to find it to achieve Mother's ultimate goal.

"_Our ultimate goal,"_ corrected Jenova. _"We both desire to see the end of this pathetic race of people and the home they have destroyed. We shall reign as gods my son."_

"G-go-gold s-s-sa-sa-saucer," was all the old man had managed to say before fainting for the seventh time since Sephiroth had kicked down his door and broken most of the furniture. He would not wait for the old man to wake up again; he had all the information he would get. Dio was at Gold Saucer and had the Keystone.

"_So we shall go there next, my precious child,"_ cooed Jenova. Sephiroth's lips stretched into a thin smile.

Skdfja;sdk

The trek back across the continent was long and rather boring. Sephiroth avoided towns as much as possible. Word seemed to be spreading about the man in the black cloak. He had a prime directive and wasting time slaughtering people aimlessly would put him behind the schedule he had made. As he walked his mind wandered. He remembered the lifetime he had spent with Shinra. His earliest memories had been ones of pain and experimentation. Hojo had toyed with and tortured him with tests and probes. The training machines he had been placed against were always set beyond his level, that was, until they could no longer build them to match his strength. Then there were others. First Class Soldiers he could train with. Genesis Rhapsodes and Angeal Hewely. There was also Zack Fair.

Teal eyes wandered over to the Nibelheim mountains. It was up there that Fair had betrayed him as well. Fair had attacked both he and Tifa, using the last of his strength to throw them all from the reactor walkway to the Mako below. Sephiroth wondered if Zack had survived as he and Tifa had, but doubted it. The man was strong but the levels of Mako in his system were not as high as he and Tifa's. That and the parts of Jenova had protected them until the day they crawled out.

Tifa. She was off on her own. It was odd that other than a few missions and other things, Tifa had been at his side since he passed her through to be a First Class. He had always thought of her as just another Soldier under his command rather than what he knew she had been intended for. From day one he had known the point of the Shinra Breeding Program. He had played Shinra's little game, a farce, and fooled himself into believe that the program would be ended and Tifa could continue to be his strongest Soldier. They had never asked either of them to be part of it, just sucked them in and refused to kill the program. It was an order to participate and a Soldier never disobeyed orders, or at least that was what he had been taught to believe. In those days, had they asked Tifa to be a willing participant he was sure she would have agreed. She did anything Hojo asked of her with a smile on her face. He was her surrogate father.

Lies built on top of more lies. They had stolen the memories from the few good years she had and continued to do so after that. There were missions that Tifa had gone on, that she did not know about, the memories had been erased. Why? Simply because Hojo had the power to do so. Had they done the same to him? Did he remember everything and were his memories even his.

"_We'll forge new memories Sephiroth, we'll remake the stars,"_ Jenova whispered.

"Yes and they'll all suffer." At least he had one person who had not lied to him. His Mother was with him now, instead of sealed away in the bowels of Shinra. She had liberated him from the chains Shinra had placed on him and together they would deliver the world from lies.

Saldfkas;ldfak

It was large, loud, and pointless. Tifa hated every second of it. She found no reason for the group to be there wandering around aimlessly and playing games. They had important things to do, well, she had one important thing to do. Still, when Aeris had pleaded with the group to take a small break and go because she had never gotten to she was torn. Aeris mentioned how Zack, her boyfriend, had promised that he would take her there when he got back from his last mission. Only, he had never come back. Tifa knew that she owed it to Zack to make sure that Aeris got there. Even though Zack had tried to stop she and Sephiroth, he had stood by her side for years. At one point they were pitted against each other to the death; but, Sephiroth had stopped that by promoting them both to First Class. He had only been following orders to keep her alive though. She was stronger than Fair and just a little more skilled. He had been incredible at guessing the next move of his opponent though, that was how he had avoided and block many of her attacks. Training with him was frustrating to say the least. He danced around her, not quite able to attack and beat her back, but able to keep himself in the fight. Then again, after making First Class, training was more for fitness then it was for moving up in the ranks.

While watching Aeris squeal in childlike delight, she wondered if Zack had hated her in the end. Was he watching from beyond the grave and cursing her every move? She was dragged out of her reverie by a voice talking in her ear. Cloud was at her side again; he had glued himself to it since she had decided to tag along with AVALANCHE. She did not hate him, for she had no reason to but he did annoy her at times. She wondered how he, and not Barrett, had become the unofficial leader. He was scatter brained at the best of times and overall plain. Nothing like the General she had served under. She allowed him to lead her through a series of tubes that led to the hotel. Her distracted thoughts were the cause of her agreeing to some sort of group outing that she would later regret. She tossed on her cloak and followed them out of the hotel into the too bright lights of Gold Saucer.

Asldfjasiefj

The keystone was right there in Dio's showroom, just beyond his reach. The guards and camera's had been taken out and all he had to do was grab it, only he could not. Why? Rage boiled to the surface as he scowled at the green orb. It was what he needed, what he wanted but he could not have it. Something stopped him from being able to reach out and grab it. It should have been simple. Teal eyes narrowed to slits as he rose and tried to approach again. Again he was stopped just short of being able to touch it. He was an Ancient, it was his.

"_Humans,_" Jenova hissed, her rage was palpable. _"They must have done something to it. Scared, pathetic animals! They knew this time would come, the time for them to die and they did something to it. They will suffer!"_ Sephiroth growled in agreement. A string of curses flew from his mouth as he tore out of the showroom. Humans, were all around him laughing and enjoying themselves, mocking him. They laughed and played, even has he summoned Masamune. The bright lights and laughing face danced on the blades surface even has he cut the creatures down. Soon they realized it was not a show and began to run. He laughed as the screamed and died. Blood began to pool on the ground. There was some small joy to be taken in slaughtering animals. They would mock him no longer, he would have the Keystone or he would kill them all one by one.

"_Yes, son. Kill the swine, take back from them what is ours,"_ Jenova laughed and screamed through his mind. The square had emptied, those who had not escaped died. Sephiroth spread his wing and took to the sky. He and Mother had to find someone to get the Keystone and he knew that Lockheart would do just that.

Ad;lakdfa;sleif

It was loud, large, pointless, mega phone wielding, moogle with a cat on its head. He was rambling on about something that Tifa was not listening to. Cloud and Aeris seemed to be enjoying it though. Somehow in all the chaos Tifa's nose and ears picked up something. It smelled like blood and sounded like screaming. Her curiosity was piqued, she had to know. Gold Saucer was too family friendly to have something like that going on. Even the "haunted" hotel was more of a punchline then something meant to scare anyone. She began to wander towards the sound with Aeris and Cloud following closely behind. Whatever had finally caught Tifa's attention was something they had to see. What they should have done was go back to the hotel, but hindsight it twenty-twenty.

"There, in the black cloak," a dying man's last words. Guards looked to Tifa and her group. She was staring at the carnage that could have only one source. Sephiroth had been there, but why? Hundreds of guards turned to look at her, Cloud, and Aeris. Tifa was unmoved, the other two were confused and horrified. Apparently, they had never seen that much gore. Weren't they there when the plate fell in Midgar? When the guards moved, so did Tifa. Her fists were out and she was ready to fight. The guards rushed and so did she. Two dozen were taken out before Mako armbands were locked around her wrists and legs. She knew Hojo had designed them and had used them to strap her to the tables in his labs while he experimented on her. Normal restraints were easily broken but something about the Mako shackles zapped the strength from a person. Apparently, Gold Saucer security had connections with Shinra.

Without allowing her or her group a chance to speak they were thrown down a tube in Battle Square and ended up in a prison camp. Barrett raged and wandered around. Cloud, Aeris, and Cait Sith tried to find a way out but the camp was surrounded by a moat of quicksand that could only be crossed by a buggy. Tifa sat in the blistering heat staring at the sun, lost in thought again. Behind her, in a broken down trailer the rest of the group talked. She could hear their conversation. Barrett tried to blame her, but the others defended her. She had been with them all night and had not left to go on a killing spree for no reason. An hour passed before Barrett stormed out to wander the prison again.

"Hey, we're going go find Barrett," Cloud called to Tifa when he finally emerged. Across the camp gun shots sounded. Tifa pointed in the direction of them.

"Found him," was all she said, before slipping back into her quiet thought. She had to get her hands on that buggy if she wanted to get out. Did she help the others get out or not, that was another question she had to answer. They were being tracked by Shinra so they were her best bet to quickly get a hold of the Turks. That and there was something off about that Cait Sith thing. She was sure she had seen plans for something like it years ago in Shinra. Tifa rose from the ground and wandered off towards the elevator that led back up to Gold Saucer. People were congregated around a fence and behind that fence was the buggy that she needed. She hung back and listened to them talk. Apparently in order to get the buggy you had to win a chocobo race. Well, she did not have time for that as the racers had already been chosen for the night so she would just steal it and ride off into the sunset.

"Head west," was all she said to the group that night as she headed out the door. "If you want to leave that is." The whole situation with Barrett and some guy named Dyne had been explained to her, but she did not care about it. All she had said then was something about it sucking to be blamed for a murder that you didn't commit.

The prison had gone to sleep except for the guards who watched the buggy. As the area around the desert was just that and it was surrounded by the quicksand moat there was no need for other guards. Guns were drawn as Tifa cast Barrier and strode calmly towards the fence. Ignoring the guards she cast Ice 3 on the fence and put her booted foot through it. The metal shattered and the gunfire started. Tifa used her armbands to defect as many bullets as possible while casting Bolt 3 on the alarm box. The lights went out and no alarm was sounded. Efficiently she killed the guards and broke into the buggy. Turk training did come in handy. The buggy was hotwired in under a minute and Tifa was off. She found the others tiredly walking through the desert and picked them up.

"Where are you headed?" she asked. She had no other means to find the Turks so driving the group around was her best option.

"How did you get this," Barrett asked suspiciously.

"Don't worry about it," was Tifa's reply.

"Cosmo Canyon, Nanaki says they have extensive records of the planet and it's also his home," Aeris supplied. Tifa had been a Soldier just like Zack had been, it was obvious how she got the buggy, they would just avoid talking about it.

Asldfj;aeifj

"_We must ask her when she is alone,"_ Jenova told Sephiroth as they flew behind the buggy.

"She'll leave them soon if they don't lead her to what she wants."

* * *

So that's that, nothing too big going on. I'm too tired to give my usual ramblings. Read and Review please

~Loveless


	31. Chapter 31

I've been holding onto this chapter forever trying to figure out how I wanted it to end. After months of nothing, I finally just ended it and I'm actually happier with this ending then any of the others that I had been thinking of. Let me know what ya'll think.

* * *

"So it was a person in a black cloak that killed all those people," Cloud mused watching the fire burn. Tifa was a few feet away checking over the buggy she had stolen. She had wanted to continue driving through the night but the protests had grown too loud and she had stopped. She did not require as much sleep as the others so she kept herself busy.

"There have been a few rumors about the General Sephiroth rising from the dead and walking the Earth wear a black cape," Cait Sith chimed in. "I don't really believe in ghosts, but maybe he's alive." Tifa eyed the magical or mechanical cat suspiciously. He had not necessarily given out information that was only known to she and Shinra, but there was that possibility.

"Well, he has to be alive. We found his sword sticking out of President Shinra," Aeris said. "Are we close to Cosmo Canyon? We really need some supplies."

"A few days away, Gongaga is the closest town," Tifa added going back to her tinkering.

"It don't make no sense, what the hell's Sephiroth got ta' do wit' any o'dis," Barrett asked. "You wanna answer Shinra?" Tifa rolled her eyes; she did not care if Barrett ever trusted her, she just wanted him to stop referring to her as Shinra. It was a company that she no longer allied herself with.

"No," was her only reply.

"Barrett leave her alone, she's not one of Shinra anymore," Cloud pleaded, trying to calm the man. "We'll think about it tomorrow, we better get some sleep so we can make it to Gongaga and then to Cosmo Canyon."

(Finger snapping intro music, I'm also changing the conversation a bit)

"Hey Rude, who do you like?" Reno asked his partner. Tifa, Cloud, and Barrett (still one of my favorite parties) sat just behind a few rocks watching the scene before them. Tifa smiled to herself at being able to find the Turks by chance. If anyone knew anything about Hojo's secret labs it would be them, especially Reno. She remembered a few things about him, mostly his knack for flying helicopters and being one of the best Turks. If there was a secret in Shinra Reno knew about it. Luck was with her. But how was she going to get that information from them without the others finding out. Tifa checked her watch, it was still hours til Turk quitting time. She would most likely have to stalk them through the woods.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, just tell me," pleaded the redhead.

"...Tifa."

"Good taste partner, good taste," Reno purred. "Had a thing for her myself way back when, but Hojo was always buzzing around. Almost got to squeeze those huge tits too, but well, she broke my arm in three places. So I gave up, until I healed. But, poor Elena. She... you..."

"No, she likes Tseng."

"I never knew about that! But Tseng likes that Ancient." Tifa was at a complete loss. The scene was like a train wreck, she could not stop herself from watching and listening. It did not help her cause that Cloud and Barrett knew she had once worked with the Turks, not that it mattered. This would just be where they all parted ways. The buggy was hers, so if they wanted a ride they would just have to put up with her.

"What are they talking about," Cloud asked. Tifa spun as a petite blonde female walked up behind them.

"It's so stupid! They always talk about who they like or don't like. But Tseng is different. Ah! Oh no!" The blonde woman flew past Tifa and her group to the other Turks shouting. "They're here! They're really here!"

"Well, well, well looks like you are part of Avalanche," Reno said looking to Tifa. "We'll just round the whole lot of you up."

(insert fight scene that would take entirely too much space to write... add in snappy outro music)

"You know the Turks," Aeris asked Tifa. "Were you a Turk?"

"No, I wasn't. They might have some answers to your questions, should you really let them go like that?"

"We can't afford to waste more time here, especially not after hearing that Scarlet and Shinra are trying to make some huge weapon," Cloud answered, turning around to look at Tifa.

"I have no reason to be here," was all Tifa said before jogging off into the forests to catch up with the Turks.

"Your girlfriend broke my nose," Reno whined rubbing the now potion fixed appendage. "How can a busty, petite thing like her hit so goddamn hard?" His complaints were met with silence as Rude ruffled through their provisions for the bottle of booze he had packed. They had more left in the helicopter, but they would get that tomorrow.

"Turks."

"We don't work overtime so go away," Reno shouted at the female voice that had called to them.

"Hojo has labs other than the one in Shinra HQ, where are they," Tifa demanded, stepping into the clearing.

"Where're your friends?" Reno asked not bothering to rise to his feet. He was not in the mood to deal with this. He had a headache and a bottle of booze to nurse. Tifa eyed him but did not respond to his question. "Some things never change, eh Rude," he commented with a laugh. "I gotta get something outta this if I'm gonna give up company secrets."

"Your life."

"Babe you know me too well, I'm a survivor." Blue eyes glanced over to Rude looking for agreement with what he was about to say. "He's got one down in Mideel/Banora region and another somewhere in Modeohiem. That all you wanted to know?" Tifa left the Turks without another word. She had now had the locations of two of Hojo's labs. That was all she needed from the Turks. She decided to leave the buggy and head out on her own. She did not need AVALANCHE either. This was where she was to part ways with them. Barrett would probably think that she was the Shinra spy who had told the Turks where the group was, but she doubted she would ever see him again, so it was of no consequence. None of Cloud's stories had brought back a shred of her memories, so he was not useful to her either. The others would protect Aeris, so only her debt to Zack would be unfulfilled, but she had more important things to do. Banora was closer so it would be her first stop.

Asldafjo;vniranvdf

"_She is alone now,"_ Jenova whispered to Sephiroth. Tifa was still walking through the forests, heading south. She was on a mission and he did not know if she would stop for him. There was only so much time left for her to have her revenge. She he bother her or find another person to use. He was sure he could intimidate just about anyone into getting the Keystone. It did not have to be Tifa. _"Why are you so hesitant to command her, my son. She was once under your command, she followed your every order. Why would she not do the same now? It was what she was conditioned to do."_

"She has rejected all of that and is on the hunt. She needs to kill Hojo and she only has so much time to do so," Sephiroth explained. "I will ask for you mother, but I cannot guarantee that she will comply as she has in the past." He dropped from his vantage point in the trees, booted feet barely making a sound. Tifa did not turn around to face him; she did not even pause in her steady march. Nothing mattered to her besides getting to Hojo. Sephiroth had seen her focused before, but never like that; she was a woman possessed. He doubted that she would have stopped even if he had drawn his sword.

"Lockheart," he called out. The only response he received was the steady crunching of forest underbrush. "Tifa." She paused, shook her head and continued walking. Did she think his voice was that of a ghost, a phantom of times barely remembered. "It's about the Keystone."

"Walk and talk," was all that she said. Sephiroth jogged to her side.

"It is in the showroom at Gold Saucer, but Mother and I cannot take it," he explained. "Humans must have tampered with it."

"And you want me to get it for you because I'm human," she finished for him, knowing that he was close to breaking his personal rule on asking for help. Sephiroth took a deep breath, he had never asked for help before. He had never ordered those under him to do his work either. He almost did not know how to, but thankfully Tifa understood. "I'm in the middle of something."

"Kill the bastard," was all Sephiroth said, stopping. He would not beg her, he could not bring himself that low. Jenova was screeching in his head, but he would not give in. If Tifa would not get the Keystone, then someone else would. He would see Mother's will done.

"_Our will,"_ Jenova corrected. _"We both wish to see an end to the human creatures."_

"Dio's showroom?" Tifa questioned. She had stopped walking as well. Sephiroth eyed her suspiciously, her conviction had been strong just a few seconds ago, now she appeared to be unsure. Sephiroth watched her sigh and turn around to face him. Perhaps old habits would always remain, but he had not commanded her to do anything. He had not even asked, merely told her his predicament. Maybe, it was what he had left unspoken, that plea for help, something he had never done before. She was muttering to herself, having a verbal battle."Sephiroth, I don't know," she said at last.

"You have a task to complete."

"But what's the point of going if it all ends anyway?" she responded. "If I get the Keystone for you, it takes time away from me. If I don't, it takes time away from you. And who is to say that I can get it. I have some of Jenova's cells in my body as well." Sephiroth nodded, agreeing with her logic. He could feel Mother's cells within her body, they called out to his and vice-versa. The two were linked by more than Hojo's sick mating game.

"Do not choose now, but think on it," he said sitting down on a fallen tree. He would await Tifa's answer be it good or bad. The sun would be setting soon and he was in as good a spot as any to settle in for the night. Tifa dropped her pack, following his lead once more. It had been a few weeks since Junon, the two were due of a little reunion.

Asldkfaj;snvaiaeefv

"They blamed me and AVALANCHE for killing all those people in Gold Saucer," she grumbled poking at the fire with a stick. The sun had long ago dropped below the horizon and the moon hung overhead. Tifa was sitting on the ground to Sephiroth's left.

"That had to be an inconvenience," he muttered from his place on a trees stump beside her. He found it odd yet comforting that she was in such close proximity. Back in his Shinra days, Sephiroth had hated when anyone invaded his personal space. Now, something caused him to close the distance Tifa had initially put between them.

"No."

"You were traveling with a group?"

"AVALANCHE, they say they're out to save the world from Shinra, but they're doing more running than fighting right now," she answered. "I left them back in Gongaga."

"I know."

"Do you know the exact location of Hojo's other labs? It would save me some time if I didn't have to scour half of two continents for them," she asked, leaning her head against his thigh.

"I would have already told you if I did." His eyes glanced down to her, studying the way the firelight reflected off her skin. Tifa was more of a distraction now, than she had ever been. Maybe it was because he had already had her. It was odd and a little bewildering.

"What about the Breeding Program? You knew about it right," she stated, more than asked. "A soldier always follows order," she laughed out bitterly then shook her head. "You are just as guilty."

"Do you hate me as you do the rest of them?"

"No," she replied thinking over his words a moment. She did not hate him, she could not for some reason. "You never lied to me, I just did not ask the right questions. What I dislike is being willing to put my objective on hold." The Turks had taught her well. If you did not ask the right questions you would never get answers. Sephiroth, who was only half listening, gave into temptation to run his fingers through her hair. Why was he so drawn to physical contact with Tifa? Simple, she was his. Shinra had created the perfect monster for him and he no longer had the will to resist like he had years ago.

"Mother... yes, Mother is grateful," he said fighting off a sharp pain as Jenova screeched in his mind. She had wanted him to say "we" but Sephiroth was in denial about asking for help. Old habits do not break easily. Tifa was not immune to his touch. Every touch she had felt before Sephiroth had been pain, training and experimentation. Only Sephiroth had given her pleasure. It would never be enough to wash away the pain she had suffered all the years, nor would it cover the lies she had been fed; but, it helped her forget for a time. Forget what though? She did not regret her years as a Soldier, though she did not think of them with pride either. Perhaps she wanted to forget that her attraction to Sephiroth had all been planned from the beginning, that she was just specimen in a cold metal room believed that she could be a First Class Soldier. She had been born like any other person but she had been created to be kept in a stable and breed like a chocobo. She craned her neck, leaning into the gentle pressure of his hand. For him, it had to only be a physical distraction, but for her it was just a little more, not much, but enough.

Apparently, his touch was welcome. She was not running from physical contact as he had seen her do in the past. Her fighting ability had come in handy when it came to evading people's touch. If Tifa did not want to be touched, she was not. Conditioning at Hojo's hands had made them both that way. Touch was not necessary and therefore should be avoided, until it was necessary and it seemed necessary now. He danced his fingers through her hair, blunt nails scrapping her scalp until her reached the tender skin of her neck. Though it was little, skin on skin contact was more pleasurable. He wondered just how she kept her battle toughened skin softer and infinitely more supple then his own war hide. Her skin was addicting, the more he touched the more he wanted to touch.

The half lidded look she gave him unraveled him, his hand tensed on the side of her neck and instinct kicked in. Her hands seized his and pulled him to the ground, rolling him over and pinning him. She had not meant to hurt him, but training was something that she could not stop. Sephiroth was not bothered by her dominant position above him. He was quite content to have her perched on top of him with her skirt riding higher than usual. Her breathing hitched as she rubbed her crotch aching slow against his.

"_He is as much yours as you are his,"_ a voice whispered through her mind. _"He will deny you nothing Tifa."_ She paused, something was not right. Other than her own in the past month or so, Tifa had never heard voices inside of her head. She rolled off of Sephiroth and sat cross-legged staring off into space. She knew that Jenova spoke with Sephiroth, but had she ever been spoken to? Maybe, a few times? It did not matter, her head was now her own sanctuary. Nothing had the right to violate her mind again. Shinra had used it as their chalkboard, erasing and potentially writing in whatever they wanted.

"I'll see you again at Gold Saucer," Tifa said before gathering her things and leaving.

* * *

I know it looks like I'm cheating you guys out of a smutty reunion but if that's all you were reading for then you're probably long gone from this fic. I made an outline for this fic and I am so off track from it, I have no idea what I'm doing anymore. Anywho, I like you and I like reviews.

~Loveless


	32. Chapter 32

And we have another chapter. At the rate that I'm going with this fic, this site will be dead before I finish it. The thing is, I know how it ends. I even started writing the final chapter... Don't you guys grumble at me, we all know it has to end some time... It'll just be later rather than sooner ;) I have a few more important things to add in here and then we'll really be going somewhere. Instead of replaying the game while I write this, I'm just scanning through the online walkthroughs to help me remember the order of events. Does anyone remember when Cloud goes into the coma? Is that disc one or two?

* * *

"Poor Tifa," Aeris muttered. "She doesn't remember most of her life."

"Damn 'dem Shinras!" bellowed Barrett. "I wanna hate her but I 'jess can't. I knew I recongnize' her from Corel, but damn." Avalanche had made it quite far since Tifa left them in Gongaga. They now camped out just below the lift to take them back to Gold Saucer. Cosmo Canyon had been quite enlightening, only comparable to what they learned in basement of the Shinra mansion. They had learned of many of the tests that had been run on Tifa, how her mind had been Professor Hojo's personal playground. They had taken the girl that Cloud had known and turned her into a monster and then erased her memory. She had destroyed Corel, killing almost everyone Barrett had held dear, but if he questioned her about it she would not know about it. She had written the mission reports, sent them off, and then her memory had been purged.

"So yer' tellin' me that lil' thing I met all them years ago is a fucking psycho?" questioned the salty pilot Avalanche had picked up.

"You've met her before all of this?" Cloud asked suspiciously.

"Fuck boy, I was in Shinra's military. I met 'er... 'ad ta' be close to eight 'r ten years ago now. She still lookin' jus' as good?" Cid Highwind smirked.

"As good as any science experiment can look, I guess," Yuffie chirped. As an after thought she tossed an apologetic look to Nanaki. "But you guys said she ran off after some Turks a few weeks ago, so I guess it doesn't really matter. She's still Shinra scum."

"Fuckin' brat, ain' you got no manners," hollered Barrett. "You don' talk 'bout somebody's friend like dat'. She don' know half the shit she don'"

"There may come a time when she's our enemy," Aeris said, looking sorrowful. "There has to be a way to save her, maybe if she knew everything that Shinra did to her."

"I don't think she went back with them," Cloud added. "Shinra was her enemy too, she said as much."

"And ya' jus' fuckin' believe 'er?" Cid questioned lighting up another smoke.

"I don't think she has it in her to lie, if she did, she would have been a lot nicer when we tried to talk to her," Cloud answered. "Besides she was being hunted by Shinra, they wouldn't have to do that if she was still willingly with them."

"Good insight Cloud, now we should rest up. I'm sure Dio will have us jumping through all sorts of hoops to get the Keystone," Nanaki added resting his head on his forepaws and closing his eye. The rest of the group followed suit.

(Moon rises and falls. Sun rises and birds chirp)

"Ere's a site for sore eyes," laughed Cid upon entering the lift to Gold Saucer. "Haven' seen ya in 'bout eigh'-nine years."

"Captain," was all Tifa said before falling back into silence. It was irritating how they all kept looking at her with sad faces. It didn't matter, all she had to do was get the Keystone and leave. Hopefully, it would be a quick and easy trip, the music that constantly blared at Goldsaucer was mind-numbing. No one asked her where she had gone, nor did they tell her about their travels. Apparently, they had picked up three more people. Vincent, some quiet and broody man, Yuffie, an obnoxious teenager, and the Ex-Captain Cid, whose nose she still wanted to break. Why had she agreed to do this again? There was no gain in it for her, but then again Sephiroth had asked. In the years she had known him, she had never heard him ask for anything. He had either commanded it be done or done it himself. It didn't matter, she was headed back to Gold Saucer and that was the end of it.

"Tifa," Cloud began taking a seat beside her. "There are some things you might like to know."

"About what?"

"Your past at Shinra."

"You mean how Hojo used my brain as a playground? How, I barely know how old I am because the memories I have don't match up to the number of years of life I have lived? Or how I was Shinra's weapon of plausible deniability because even if questioned about all the missions I carried out, I don't remember half of them?" she responded with a bitter laugh. "I don't really care to know anymore than I already do. It'll all be over soon."

(blah blah blah)

"They seek the Keystone as well," Sephiroth asked. He had entered Tifa's room through the balcony. She had paid for her own room as she had a suspicion that Sephiroth would follow her to Gold Saucer. Why? She was not sure because he could not handle the Keystone himself. If Avalanche wanted it, her life was made easier. They most likely wanted to go to the Temple of the Ancients themselves and Sephiroth could follow them. She would then be left to her own plans. Tifa pulled the towel off her head and laid back on the bed, keeping one eye on the former general. She was wary of him now that he carried a being that could speak to her mind. But she had received injections of Jenova's cells as well, so it was only logical that she would hear the being's voice as he did.

"Yes, Dio wants a show for it, something about fighting in Battle Square," she mumbled. "What are you doing here?"

"Why did you leave?"

"I came back to do what you needed d-done." She cursed herself for that small stutter. She was sure that had died years ago. When she had first began training for Soldier she couldn't stand to hear herself speak because of that impediment. Focus and will power had broken her of it, or so she had thought.

"You've always had a tell, Lockheart," he chuckled dryly. Tifa shot him a venomous glare, she had not lied. Getting the Keystone had been part of the reason she had left him in the forest, but not all of it. "It doesn't matter. Will you stay with Avalanche?"

"I'd rather not, but to make sure they are going to the Temple of the Ancients I will." The last thing she wanted was to be around their constant pestering. And now that they had learned what she had about Shinra's experiments on her, she wanted nothing of their pity. It was all part of a past that she would never know.

"You could always join Mother and I," Sephiroth offered still watching her from his spot just inside the balcony.

"No I couldn't." Sephiroth was not offended by her response. He knew that Lockheart would never agree to be a soldier again. She was her own army and would be that way until she died. It had to be difficult for her. He had always assumed command, only taking orders from President Shinra. Even then he had counseled the president on what decision to make, so in effect, he had made the decisions. Leadership had come naturally, but that had not been the case with Tifa. She had been recreated to follow orders and do as she was told without question. Independent thought had been taken away from her; she was the sum of her orders. To suddenly be thrust out to make her own decisions had to be stressful. As much as he wanted to know, he could not ask her about her feelings. Even if she would have told him, he doubted he would have understood them. The two monsters watched each other, having a silent dialogue. One that only another monster would understand. There was much they wanted to say, but neither would ever give voice to those thoughts.

"Are you staying," Tifa asked at length. "Might as well, we're all headed to the same place. Shower is over there," she added pointing across the room.

(Steam steam more steam)

Scalding water always felt good after spending any extended amount of time in the wilderness and Sephiroth had not had a hot shower that hot in several years. Cold river baths or weeks without were his normal now. He should not have even been taking one in Tifa's room, but the temptation had been too great. He had not seen any Shinra personnel around Tifa or Avalanche, so there was no threat of having to deal with them at the moment. He had hidden Mother somewhere safe before following Tifa here. In all honesty, he had nothing to do. He was idly passing time until he could continue with Mother's plan. Idle was not something the General did willingly. Being at the mercy of others was for the weak, those who could not do for themselves. Yet, here he was, nearly a god, needing the help of humans. Just how far would he have to fall before he could crush all life on this pathetic rock? Mother's plan had far more delays then he had anticipated.

A deep breath and more hot water helped him calm his thoughts. He could not help it that Mother had been imprisoned at the hands of humans while they changed the world around. They had seen fit to make it difficult for her to retake the planet. He would travel the long road, crushing his enemies along the way. If it took years, then he would march for years. He was her soldier now. His reward would not be a trivial paycheck, but the opportunity to be a god. He would ride the husk of the Planet through the stars.

Again, his thoughts drifted to Tifa. No doubt, she would welcome the death he would bring, but did he want her to die? She carried parts of Mother in her; did she hear her voice as he did? And if she did, how could she ignore it? What solace would she find in killing Hojo and destroying Shinra? It would not bring her memories back, nor would it be long lived. Could he ask her and would she answer? Why had she run from him in the forest? There were many things he wished to ask her, but could not. Why couldn't he? There were no longer with Shinra, they were different people now. They could break their old habits of silence if they wanted wished. The chapter of their lives when they lived in obedient ignorance was over and he was determined to know what she was thinking.

With his mind made up, he turned off the water and stepped out of the tub. After tucking a red towel around his waist he turned the knob of the door. Tifa was staring at the ceiling with a blank expression.

"We should talk," was all he said, watching her.

"We've never been the talking type."

"We aren't those people anymore. I have questions for you, things I want to know," he said taking another towel to dry some of the water from his hair. He did not move from his spot in the bathroom doorway, but continued. "Why don't you hear Mother's voice, feel her desire? I know that you carry part of you with her."

"I never said that I didn't hear her." His eyes narrowed; it was a Turk response, an answer that did not answer the question. "She has her champion, she doesn't need another."

"Is that why you... left, in the forest?" He had almost said 'ran away' but he knew that she would bristle at those words. In truth, she had run, but to say it would imply that she was a coward. Lockheart was confused, that much he knew, but she was no coward. Perhaps, she had heard Mother's voice and it bothered her.

"I don't know how much time I have left, so I need to move quickly. Hojo is out there and I want to be the one to kill him," she answered. Anger briefly flared through Sephiroth. He was not getting any of the answers he wanted, she was being vague and giving him information that he already knew. He longed for the days, when Tifa gave him concise and truthful answers. Hadn't he been the one to say that they were different people now that they were no longer peons at Shinra? With a sigh he moved to sit on the bed. Had she defeated him? No, he just needed to change his tactic.

"I don't understand what you want from me Sephiroth," Tifa began with a sideways glance at him. "Yes, I can hear Jenova. I know she is important to you; but, I don't need anyone else inside my head. For the first time, that I can remember, my choices are mine, my will is my own. I'm not a slave to people who only saw me as a science experiment. I don't blindly follow orders anymore." She rolled towards him and grabbed a fistful of his hair. When he turned to look at her with a quizzical expression, she darted forward pressing her lips to his and retreating quickly. "I can do that because I want to a-and … not ...b-b-because I was … programmed," Tifa's words lost strength as realization settled over her, she wanted Sephiroth.

Sephiroth had no words. He had been kissed before and found it an unnecessary desire, but that was not what left him speechless. She had done so because _she_ wanted to. He knew that Tifa was not shallow enough to want him for his looks, she respected him far too much to want him for a purpose as Shinra had. Adoring fans had wanted the idea that Shinra portrayed of him, Shinra wanted his fighting prowess, his body had been desired for various things by various people but none had wanted him. She had kissed him because it was a pointless action that _she wanted_.

He watched as she retreated and went back to staring blankly at the ceiling. She was shutting down, a tactic that she had learned at the hands of Hojo. When you were frequently at the mercy of a madman who used your own expressions against you, you quickly unlearned them. He felt his own face begin to match her, but stopped himself. Too many years had been spent repeating the same actions, gods did not hide themselves behind masks because there was no need to. He could be like Tifa, free. If he wanted to do something, there was no need to file papers, check with President Shinra, or order others to fill in for him. He did not have to keep up an image that Shinra had created and forced him into. Pale lips curled into a cruel smirk as his eyes settled on Tifa.

"Freedom," he said. "So that is what it truly is."

"Yes," she replied. "Since Jenova's will and my will aren't the same, I'd have to give up this freedom to do her bidding. That is why I left, you are not mine and I'm not yours. The only thing that binds us are the lies of the Shinra Electric Power Company." What did she want? Tifa had wanted to become a First Class SOLDIER, that she knew, it was her earliest memory. In that cold and sterile room, that was her only dream, though she was not entirely sure what it meant back then. Her next want was to be as good if not better than Sephiroth. She had wanted that so that the only paternal figure she knew would pay as much attention to her has he did to the general. Hojo, in her own way, she had loved him and he had betrayed her. Now, she wanted to make him suffer. She wanted him to feel all of the pain she felt and then to die.

Tifa sat in silence, picking her brain, wondering how kissing Sephiroth was something that she wanted. Yes, it was something she could not remember doing, at least not in memory she had left. Was that it? She wanted a new experience, then why him? In her quest, she had come across many men and found that her short stature made her appear to be a damsel in distress. She could have chosen any of those men, but she had not. She gave a sidelong look at Sephiroth, he was still watching her with that expression that she could not name. That look drew her to him again, close enough for him to grad her and crush his lips against hers. It was freedom, the ability to follow their own desires.

The kiss deepened and Tifa found herself in Sephiroth's lap, his large hands tracing the contours of her spine. Impatiently Tifa removed her own clothing, baring herself to him. With a smirk, Sephiroth lifted her to the bed and eagerly devoured the feast beneath him. She gasped when his mouth closed over her breast, fingers tangling in his damp hair. Blunt teeth scrapped down her abdomen to settle, with a lavish lick, on the bundle of nerves at the juncture of her thigh. Tifa's back arched as her body shook with pleasure. Small but strong hands pulled Sephiroth from his ministrations at her nether regions. He rested back on his heels, smiling down at her. She returned the expression and snaked a leg around his waist. He was surprised when, instead of pulling him down on top of her, Tifa found the leverage to sweep him to his side and roll him on to his back with just the use of her legs. She straddled him with one hand on his chest and the other wrapped around his cock, a fraction of an inch from her wet hole.

"You used to fight back," she chuckled darkly.

"I would if there was something to win," he replied gasping for breath as she ran her thumb across the head of his manhood. "If we fight and I win, I lose."

"A draw then," she said sinking down. His hips rose up to meet hers, grinding together. There was no urgency in their movements, the two had the entire night to enjoy something they both _wanted_. Hands, that were used to wielding a sword danced along her thighs. The feathery caresses left her burning for more. Her body clenched him tighter with each stroking causing him to arch off the bed and bring his chest closer to her mouth. Tifa returned the favor he had done for her, taking a pale nipple in her mouth. He moaned for her when she scrapped her teeth against him. It was a delicious sound that she that was only for her. He tilted her head up to his to capture her lips in a sloppy kiss that was guided only by instinct. He wanted to devour every part of her, to consume her as she did him. Tifa rode the current of pleasure pulsing through her body, feeling it tighten her like a bow string. She knew she would break if his hands kept touching her. When his teeth found her ear lobe he whispered darkly,

"Come for me." And she broke, a ragged sob tearing from her mouth as she dropped into the abyss of pleasure. Her body slumped against his and he smiled before rolling her over. With slow, deliberate strokes Sephiroth brought her back to life, gasping for me. He dipped his head to her collarbone to taste soft skin, now coated with a sheen of sweat. Her leg wrapped around him, pulling him deeper inside her. The twitching of her inner walls was making him lose focus. He raced towards his own end, pounding savagely into her. The throaty moan that carried his name from her lips to the ceiling drove him made. She smiled knowingly up at him as her nails dug into back and her lips sealed over the pulse in his neck.

"Tifa," he called, spilling himself inside of her. He did not stop until he was completely spent and she followed suit one more time. The two collapsed in a sweaty heap on the bed. Sephiroth refused to let her go and Tifa was in no hurry to leave the warmth of his body. Her hands tickled along his rib cage and down his abdomen, letting him know that she was far from sated for the night. The morning could bring whatever it wanted. For the night, the entirety of their world consisted of that rented room.

* * *

Would you believe it took me about two weeks to write that little bit of smut? I just wasn't in the mood to write it, so I debated leaving it out. Then I thought, "Loveless, if Sephiroth were in your hotel room, wearing nothing but a towel and shower mist could you really resist? could your readers?" Of course we couldn't, so neither can Tifa. We've now add kissing and cuddling to their relationship, could they be becoming a little more normal? Anywho, leave me reviews, I like them and they keep me going.

~Loveless


	33. Chapter 33

A special cameo. Enjoy!

I own nothing. I edit nothing. Deal with it.

* * *

"You're going to the Temple of the Ancients correct?" Tifa asked, holding the keystone. It was easy to obtain. All she had to do was handicap herself and fight a few monsters Dio kept at his resort. Avalanche had apparently been out, having a great time last night as they had all risen late in the afternoon. Tifa had debated leaving the keystone with them and disappearing again, but she had to be sure that they were going to the Temple of the Ancients. Sephiroth was a brilliant man, he could figure out how to get what he wanted from them. She needed to get to the Banora area. She had already delayed herself long enough.

"Yea, aren't you staying," Cloud asked in return. Tifa shook her head and handed him the item. Avalanche just watched her walk away, wondering if they would see her again. Tifa smiled as she returned to her room to get her things and be on her way. On her bed, there was an odd item. Sephiroth must have left it for her. It was a parachute and a note.

_Lift is broken._

_S_

Without much thought Tifa strapped the device on underneath her cloak and found the highest spot of Gold Saucer. It was an employee observation deck. The two people there did not bother to notice what she was doing until she jumped off. Tifa could not remember the last time she had jumped from such a height. It was exhilarating to have the wind roaring past her. Freedom, it was something that she was finally getting used to.

(Two or so weeks of traveling, because running around a globe takes more than 5 minutes without the use of an airship)

Apple trees, she was surrounded by dumb apple trees, literally. The dumb apple was Banora's chief export. Of all places to put a lab, why would Hojo choose the backwater Banoran region. And just how was she supposed to find it? She hadn't even found a town yet, just apples. With each step Tifa found herself further from her goal. She would die wandering around the maze and never find the lab. She cursed herself for not finding the exact location of it. Reno knew what he was doing. He had given her the information that she had wanted and nothing more. There was a reason why the slovenly redhead was only outranked by Tseng.

" 'Ripples form on the water's surface, the wandering soul knows no rest.'" Tifa spun on her heels, fists ready to pulverize the voice. She had not heard anyone near her, that almost never happened. Her senses had been honed and sharpened, no one should have been able to sneak up on her like that. With her face set in a stern mask, she gazed upon her stalker. A tall auburn haired man stood several feet away, watching her every move with mako blue eyes. So he was a Soldier or at least affiliated with Shinra in some way. The blue eyes were a sign of mako poisoning, though sometimes the eye colors varied. Sephiroth's eyes were teal, her own were red, but that could be attributed to the Jenova cells they both carried.

"It has been nearly a decade since I last saw anyone affiliated with Shinra. You are not dressed as a Turk or a Soldier, but your eyes glow like one suffering from mako poisoning," the man said. "Who are you?"

"Tifa Lockheart," was all that she said. The man clearly had no intention of attacking her at the moment. She relaxed, though she did not lower her fists. If he suddenly changed his mind she would be ready for him. His expression changed then, to one one of sad wonder.

"Though we have never met, I know of you Lockheart. My name is Genesis Rhapsodos one of the unfortunate specimens from the Jenova Project G." With a sigh he turned around and motioned for her to follow. "I've already led one comrade to madness, I'll take you to the lab, though I'm not sure if you'll find anything. It's been abandoned for years." Something in her caused her to trust him, almost a kinship. Perhaps it was because he was part of the Jenova project. He carried cells within him. That might have been what allowed him to fly under her radar. His slowed pace annoyed her. By looks he was the same age and build as Sephiroth, so he should have been able to move faster.

"You went rouge and turned against Shinra, why?" Tifa asked after pouring through her memories, trying to remember who Genesis was.

"Because I wanted to be healed. A side effect of Project G was that my cells were not perfectly combined with Jenova cells," he began. "As a result, I suffer from degradation. My body is breaking down and the Jenova cells are feeding on the pieces of humanity that I have left. Being close to free mako energy slows the process, but I will eventually die from it. Professor Hollander, Hojo's chief rival, wanted to make a Soldier that was superior to Sephiroth. He led me to believe that he had a cure, but it was all lies. Sephiroth was born of a human woman, but his testing began in the womb. I was born a human and was tested on as an infant."

"So I could begin to degrade," Tifa said putting all of the facts together. She had been older than an infant when the testing began. Tally one more reason for her to hate Shinra, but she doubted she would suffer as Genesis had, because the world would not last that long.

"I don't know, as bad as it is to say, Hojo was the superior scientist. I can only hope that he perfected the technique for you," Genesis responded looking at her. "I'm guessing that Shinra is trying to hunt you down. We are the monsters they want covered up."

"They've already half way done that with me," she chuckled dryly. She did not know why, but she felt comfortable around Genesis. He talked quite a bit, but that did not grate on her nerves. He was a kindred spirit, another who had suffered at the hands Shinra.

"Do not forget your humanity, Lockheart. It's the only solace that I've found in the past seven years. Once, you lose that piece of you Shinra has won." He led her on in silence. After walking a few miles, they came across a ramshackle house. Tifa briefly wondered if this was where Genesis lived, but was shocked at what he showed her inside. A cabinet slid to the side to reveal an elevator. It was Shinra tech and it led to the lab below. The lab was devoid of life, not even the bones of dead specimen remained. Everything living had been removed years ago and a thick layer of dust coated the surfaces. Tifa was instantly disgusted. She could not help but miss the mechanical whir of machinery that she had heard in Hojo's labs at Shinra HQ. A lab not being used for science was a travesty, a lesson she had learned from Hojo; one that she doubted would ever leave her. As much as she hated him and loved her freedom, a tiny piece of her longed to be back at the side of caretaker, waiting for his approval and perverse affection. Her hand skimmed over the surface of the control panel. The machine sprung to life after a soft groan. Navigating through Hojo's security protocols was child's play to her and soon she was browsing for the files she wanted. The last updated file was saved five years ago, two years after the events of Nibelheim.

**PROJECT: 223-XGXZ**

**SHINRA BREEDING PROGRAM: STATUS REPORT XXIV**

**PROFESSOR HOJO**

**GENETIC MATERIAL HARVESTED FROM SPECIEMS 001 AND 0128 WAS PROCESSED TWO YEARS AGO. TWENTY TWO PLYABLE ZYGOTES WERE CREATED AND LEFT TO DEVELOP IN THE INCUBATION TANKS. MAKO ENERGY WAS USED TO INCREASE GROWTH RATE. 11 SPECIMEN WERE ALTERED WITH THE USE OF JENOVA CELLS WHILE THE OTHERS RECEIVED ONLY MAKO RADIATION. THE 11 RECEIVING THE JENOVA CELLS HAVE ALL BEEN TERMINATED AS GENETIC MUTATION, CAUSED BY OVER SATURATION OF JENOVA CELLS, WOULD HAVE MADE THEM UNABLE TO PERFORM THE DUTIES ASSIGNED TO SOLDIERS BY THE SHINRA ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY. **

**WHEN THE REMAINING SPECIMEN ARE READY TO BE REMOVED FROM INCUBATION, THE INTACT PORTION OF SPECIMEN 000 WILL BE NEEDED TO PERFORM THE GENETIC COMBINATION; A FORMAL REQUEST HAS BEEN SENT TO THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT SHINRA AND IS PENDING APPROVAL. **

**PROJECT: 223-XGXZ**

**SHINRA BREEDING PROGRAM XXV**

**PROFESSOR HOJO**

**A TERMINATION OF 9 OF THE 11 REMAINING SPECIMEN WAS NECESSARY. TEST SUBJECTS BEGAN TO DEGRADE. OF THE TWO REMAINING TEST SUBJECTS ONLY ONE SHOWS POSSIBILITY OF SURVIVING THE YEAR. **

Tifa stared at the words on the page; she reread them hoping that those typed lines were all lies. Hojo had carried on the Breeding Program. He had harvested she and Sephiroth like crops in the fall and created children. Those were her children she read about and twenty one of them had been experimented on and killed. All they had ever known was the pain of Hojo's tests and death, they would never know freedom. Rage blossomed anew. Hojo had to be destroyed, he had to suffer. Her fingers flew into a flurry of action. She scanned Shinra's databases for information about Hojo's clones. While physically they were human, all of their functions were controlled by a super computer designed by Reeve but used exclusively by Hojo.

Hours she spent pouring over the computers operational code. Shinra had trained her well, a soldier with the training of a Turk. Once she found what she was looking for it was easy to implant a small virus. Using Genesis as a base she wrote a program that would turn the bodies of the clones against itself. The clones would start to degrade and die. Tifa smiled at her handiwork. Now she had to get to Modeoheim.

" _'My Soul corrupted by vengeance, Hath endures torment, to find the of the journey in my own salvation, and your eternal slumber.'_ Have you found what you sought Lockheart," Genesis asked when she emerged from the shanty. He had not followed her inside, hating even to be so near to the lab.

"Thank you, I doubt we'll meet again," she said brushing past him. North, she was headed to Modeoheim where she would find Sephiroth and her child.

"For all that it is worth, tell my friend Sephiroth that I am sorry. And remind him that he can still be the hero of this drama." Tifa froze at his words. She knew that Genesis and Sephiroth would have had some interaction as 1st Class soldier was a small, elite group; but, to call Sephiroth a friend, next to none would have dreamed.

"You can tell him yourself when you greet him as your god," she said turning around, red eyes burning with questions.

"So he has succumb to the Calamity's madness," Genesis said with a frown. "That is what Jenova is, I have seen the files left behind by Professor Gast and the Ancient Ifalna. It is a virus that eats away at your humanity until what is left behind is a monster. Jenova feeds on life and thus would want to get to the Lifestream. If Sephiroth is determined to become a god by absorbing the Lifestream then he is fulfilling Jenova's will. I feared he would become a pawn to the creature he so lovingly calls Mother."

"So he's being used by Jenova?" Tifa asked trying to process all of the information Genesis had given her. She was not sure if she believed him, as she had not seen the files of which he spoke. "The files in the Shinra Mansion said that Gast and Hojo both declared Jenova to be an Ancient."

"A mistake that Gast tried to rectify after finding the Ancient Ifalna. I'm sure after more testing Hojo found that Jenova was not of the Planet, but he decided it was a detail that did not matter. He had a true Ancient to run tests on. You can call me a liar all you wish, ask Hojo before you kill him. Find the truth of the matter Lockheart," Genesis prodded. "Perhaps you will be the hero the rest of us could not be."

(Meanwhile)

"Give me the Black Materia," Sephiroth hissed at Avalanche. His sword was poised to strike. Cloud held on tightly to the black orb. It was the most powerful materia on the planet and could lead to their destruction. Aeris stood at his side, trying to quell her fear of the silver-haired demon. Zack had told her about the General and just how powerful he was. They had to do their best to stop Sephiroth from obtaining that materia, even if it meant surrendering their lives. The temple had better explained what Jenova was and why the materia had been made into the temple. He had waited for them there, possibly using them as pawns to get what he could not.

"_Pathetic creatures, do not let them stand in our way. They've served their purpose now dispose of them and get the Black Materia!"_ Jenova screeched through his mind. The voice caused him immense pain, enough to waiver him where he stood. The command was clear enough. Sephiroth rushed towards them, knocking them down with a powerful slash of his Masamune. With a flick of his wrist he knocked away the suriken that was launched at his head. The group did have some skill but they were no match for him. It did bring a small joy to his heart to toy with them, he had not fought like this in some time. Another wave of pain from Mother and he was reminded of his objective. She did not even want him to spare the time to kill them. She wanted the Black Materia and to be done with this place. It was time to carry out his mission. The blonde held on to the materia while brandishing his sword.

"I will become one with the Planet and you will not stand in my way! I will rid this world of you vile animals!" Sephiroth snarled rushing towards Cloud. The shorter man could do nothing to stop the onslaught of attacks. He fell limp to the ground, the Black Materia rolling away. Sephiroth retrieved his prize and took to the sky. The painful voice of Mother had quieted, they had what they wanted. It was only a matter of time now.

"_We must go to the Forgotten Capitol, there might be more traps set by the Ancients."_

"We have all the knowledge of the Planet, we gained that in the Lifestream Mother. What more could there be?" Sephiroth questioned heading in the direction that she had told him. "And why is it that we have this knowledge but Tifa does not?"

"_There are many things the Ancients may have fooled the Planet into believe, one being that we are it's enemy,"_ Jenova explained. Of course, it was a lie but Sephiroth would believe all the lies that he was fed. He needed something to believe in after forsaking Shinra and Jenova was there to fill that hole. In the end, the man she had become part of was just a tool. Absorbing the lifestream would make the Calamity whole again as well as a god of this planet. It would all be as it was intended to be ages ago. _"Tifa, she had abandoned us so she does not matter. All that does matter is fulfilling our goal."_

"Yes, Mother."

* * *

This chapter was chopped in half, honestly. The ending with Sephiroth had so much more in it. He was interacting with Jenova, going crazy, and making a new plan. It was wonderful and magical and then I realized "Duh, Sephiroth does walk away from the Temple of the Ancients with the black materia." I've changed a lot of game events but I do want to stick to some. If he didn't get the black materia there would be no reason for Aeris to go the the Forgotten Capitol to invoke holy. I probably could have continued with the way that I had it written, but I chose to change it. He does get it from Cloud, but only after beating him. Bleh, I'm not as happy with the chapter anymore. Anywho, did you like the Genesis cameo? Note: Tifa does not get knowledge from the lifestream because her brain might as well be mush.

~Loveless


	34. Chapter 34

Awwwww man. Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, and 30 Seconds to Mars got me through his chapter. Read and Review. I own nothing.

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"_My dear Sephiroth, this is the city that time has forgotten. Once they dwelled here, keeping careful vigilance over the tomb they sealed me in. The scar left from that event is the great crater. They hid in these shell houses, fearing the day that I would return and take what is mine, what is now ours. This planet has gone to ruin. The vile humans have destroyed it. In order to save it we must eliminate them. Once we do that we will be the gods of the Promised Land._" Sephiroth's lips quirked up as he listened to Mother tell him of their plans. Her voice was soothing when she was not screeching. In his hands he held the Black Materia. They would summon meteor, the ultimate destructive force.

"_The humans, they are crafty, they will try to stop us Sephiroth,_" He smiled every time that she said his name. It was musical to him. Someone finally called his name to speak in that tone, not to give him a direct order, not to ask him some asinine question, not to bother him. Mother cared for him and he could hear it in her voice. "_Here, in this forgotten place, they will seek the counter materia to Meteor. It is called Holy and I believe the brown hair female knows how to summon it. Look to your left._" He did as instructed and noticed the writing on the walls. Upon closer inspection he noticed that it was a brief account of the two most powerful materia in the world. The Black Materia was the ultimate destructive force while the White Materia had the power to stop it. In order for his plan to work the woman with the power to summon Holy had to die.

"So Aeris Gainsboro must die," he knew who she was, she had been under the care of Zack Fair and Tseng for many years. Aeris was a specimen that Hojo craved for some reason. Aeris and Tifa had to be close to the same age because the scientist lost interest in the child Aeris when Tifa came along. Sephiroth frowned, Tifa had once been the 'apple' of her 'father' eye at one point. Hojo had even missed a few of his mako treatments in order to do more tests on Tifa. He was sure that it had been the same way with her, hence Tifa's odd jealousy of Sephiroth.

"_Do not worry about the past, Sephiroth, not when the future is so near. Think of the Promised Land of reigning over humans, of being one with the Planet as we were meant to be._"

"Just us two Mother, I won't allow any humans to survive. I will hunt each one down and kill them so they don't attempt to kill you again. I won't allow it," he stated resolutely. "Our time is coming."

"_Just as Meteor must be summoned in a specific place, so must Holy. It is here that they will come to try to stop us, but we will be waiting for them._"

"Mother, do you know what the Promised Land will be like?" Though his question was childlike in nature, Sephiroth had never been able to be a child who asked those questions. He remembered trying with Hojo but the scientist had not said a word. Instead of an answer, Sephiroth received pain. It had been one of the many days that Hojo wanted to test how fast Sephiroth's body could heal itself.

"_You will not exist as you do now, but at the same time you will. The Lifestream will flow freely across the planet and you will be that. You will direct it at your will choosing which things live and which die. Creation is a power that will be effortless to you._" Sephiroth looked down at his battle toughened hands. He wondered if he could be a creator. He had only destroyed before, never given life to something. He had never left a soldier to die, but delivering what others called a "mercy kill" had seemed trivial in his eyes. He had been considered heartless in his youth, but Wutai was the event that solidified his detachment from everything.

"_Do no worry Sephiroth, as I said, it will be effortless. You will have all the knowledge of the planet._" He do nothing but trust Mother's words. Sephiroth continued to walk the Forgotten Capitol, waiting for the group Avalanche to appear. He had not had the focus to kill them at the Temple of the Ancients, that and Mother had told him to leave them be.

"Why didn't you let me kill them at the Temple of the Ancients?"

"_If the female knows how to summon Holy, surly it would be on her dying breath. With her return to the Lifestream there, it would have given the materia enough strength to stop us. We must catch her unaware. She will come here to summon the materia. Surprise her and kill her before she can summon it and we are sure to succeed._"

"Yes, Mother."

**(Scene Shift)**

"Sephiroth has the Black Materia?" Tifa asked finding the rag-tag group called Avalanche. She had not stopped on her way to the Temple. She had pushed her body to the breaking point and back to catch up with the group and Sephiroth. She had to let him know of her discoveries. It was important that he at least know that he was being lied to by an alien and had a child hidden away. Did he know? Had he kept secrets from her again? "He must be going to Northern Crater."

"What brings you back to us," Cloud asked, pulling his battered body to stand up. Aeris had left before any of them recovered from their fight with Sephiroth, leaving only the dream behind. "I don't care where Sephiroth is going right now, we're going to find Aeris. She said she was going to the Forgotten Capitol to try to stop Sephiroth. We have to make sure she is alright." Red eyes sized up Cloud as she began working out a plan.

"Tifa what do you know," Red asked, looking at her earnestly. Tifa did not mind the red lion with the flaming tail. He was logical, he planned, and weighed all options. Also, the two shared a quiet bond, one forged with pain in Hojo's labs. Tifa had learned that she had set Nanaki and Aeris free the night she and Sephiroth stormed Shinra HQ. She had not known that either was there, but each had thanked her in the few moments she had to spare for the group. Telling Avalanche what was going on with Sephiroth was not an easy decision to make. Would they understand? If Jenova was indeed misleading Sephiroth and using him as it's pawn she had to stop the creature.

"Bet it's somethin' 'bout 'dat damn sliver haired monster," Barrett muttered.

"Don't you dare say that!" Tifa shouted at the black man, rage boiling over the surface. With a few deep breaths she calmed herself. "You shouldn't say things when you don't understand what they mean."

"I don't know where you've been but he kinda went crazy, slaughtered all of Cloud's and your hometown, killed all those people at Gold Saucer, and is hell-bent on destroying the planet. And, ugh, not to mention what he did to my people," Yuffie huffed.

"Then I'm just as much as a monster than he is," Tifa replied, not backing down.

"I'm not going to argue that point, we know what you did to Corel," Yuffie added.

"But do you know what it's like to programmed for war? Can you even imagine what it's like to have every other thought erased, to feel nothing, to truly experience nothing except for pain? Have you ever been tortured to the point where you'd follow any order to make the pain stop? Are your first memories of being stabbed with needles in a sterile room? Has anyone stripped your humanity away?" Tifa all but shouted at the teenager. She laughed bitterly, "I knew you wouldn't understand. Even before his first breath, Sephiroth was an experiment. You might have read the reports, but you don't know what that does to a person. He and I were created to be monsters and then they used us to try to create more little monsters. Thanks to Hojo, Sephiroth and I have a child who is hidden away in some lab being treated as a monster, like he and I were! Thanks to Hojo my brain might as well be mush! Thanks to Hojo Sephiroth is now that pawn of an alien who is hell-bent on destroying this planet!

"All he and I wanted was freedom, to not have to follow orders and be lied to again. We wanted to choose to live out our own will, not the will of Shinra Electric Power Company, not the will of Jenova. I have to save Sephiroth and our child," Tifa finished. There it was, the whole truth as she knew it. Genesis was right, she had to be the hero. Being a hero? A strange concept for someone who had been turned into a villain.

"Then I shall aid you Miss Lockheart," the usually quiet Vincent said. "I do know what it is like to be made into a monster," he said holding up the claw that had been grafted to arm. "I failed Sephiroth and his mother once and my punishment has been this form, I will not fail again."

"Girl, I think yer in love," laughed Captain Cid lighting a cigarette. "An' you Valentine, yer just a damn fool. But than must make me twice the fuckin' fool cause I guess yer just both just touchin' ma' heart-strings. I still say we find out what Aeris is after first."

"She might be one step ahead of us," Cloud added, still wanting to find his slum flower girl. "But, I do believe we should do what he can to save Sephiroth. If it does turn out he's just being used by Jenova, which is as much as Aeris said before, then he probably doesn't really want to take out the planet."

"Well, Sephiroth can only summon meteor using the Black Materia during a specific time. That window has not yet opened, so we still have time to find Aeris and save Sephiroth," Nanaki added. "Shall we set off to the Forgotten Capitol? It is on the Northern Continent."

* * *

So Tifa is part of Avalanche now, what, what? Here is the thing, I kinda want to post the outline I made up to this point and show you guys just how far I've deviated from my original plan. Tifa was supposed to be travelling with Avalanche from Costa del Sol on. You know about nine chapter ago? She was supposed to be there at the Temple of the Ancients too. There also was a chapter where I was going to have a flash back to Nibelhiem... that's just been postponed. Anywho, so the gang is together and out to save Sephiroth this time around. Why? Because, like me, they realized that Sephiroth is just a very confused man whose family might have been on an episode of Jerry Springer. Anyway, Tifa has to have her rant, because it needed to happen.

~Loveless


	35. Chapter 35

Oh wow! Two chapter in one night?! I would say that I'm great, but this chapter was written about the same time as Tifa and Sephiroth going crazy in Nibelhiem. I'm not kidding, I knew this was how this was going be, I just had to change a few things here and there because of how drastically the story changed. And here we have my beautiful readers, the end-

* * *

"This place is kinda creepy," muttered Yuffie from the back of the group. "Even creepier than Vincent." It was about the twentieth time she had made the statement, meaning she was indeed creeped out. Tifa wrote off the twittering teen as she had been doing for the few weeks they had been travelling together. Vincent was at Tifa's side as she led the group further into the Forgotten Capitol. It was easier for her to walk next to the quiet man or Red XIII, the two did not show pity towards her, nor did they feel the need to keep talking to her. Cid had been a handful. It was not until she had broken his nose that the two had reached and agreement. He did not hit on her and she did not break his nose. Though she was not on bad terms with any member of Avalanche, she still felt like an outsider. Yes, they had agreed to try to save Sephiroth rather than just kill him to stop him, but when the final hour finally came could she trust them? She doubted it, but it was worth the try in the meantime.

"She had to be here somewhere," Tifa said, more to herself than to anyone in the group. While she had wanted to break from them to find the laboratory where the real Hojo and her child was located, she had to find and protect Aeris as well. It was just something she had to do for Zack, she owed him that much. Fair and Sephiroth were the only two people who Tifa could now call friend. Cloud had tried again to get her to remember the past by telling her stories of her and her friends in Nibelhiem. Tifa still did not remember anything before being in that cold, specimen holding cell at Shirna. Eventually, he had started to give up. The tales he was telling had happened to another Tifa, not the woman who traveled with them.

"Mother fucker,' Barrett snapped as the sun began to disappear behind the horizon. "I s'pose we outta rest an' start lookin' in tha' mornin' ." They had spent the entire day searching, but there had been no signs of Aeris. The only thing that could stop the Black Materia was Holy, and the City of the Ancients was the place where it had to be summoned. If Aeris succeeded, Jenova's plan would be thwarted. It would be a tough fight but she was sure she could reach Sephiroth with the truth.

"That place looks stable enough," Cloud offered pointing to a house off the the right of the three-way fork in the road. Tifa continued on with the group to the house. She chose to take up her vigil outside. Sleep was a commodity that she could live without. Many nights had passed with little or no sleep. Occasionally, Vincent would sit with her, not speaking, but simply providing a physical presence.

An eerie silence settled over the Forgotten Capitol, breaking Tifa's reverie. Silence was something that she was used to, but there was absolutely no sound. Not even the wind whistled through the buildings, even though she felt the breeze. Apparently, the silence had awoken everyone else as well, but she did not have time to wait for them. She had to find the cause. Something drew her back to the three-way path and down the center path. The house they had examined before now sported a crystalline staircase that went down. Of course, she had to go down. By then, the rest of Avalanche was catching up to her. They followed her down the stairs.

(We need some dramatic music here, pick your favorite tune)

"_There Sephiroth, see the swine kneeling below? I told you she would come here, praying to whatever power it is humans worship," _Jenova sneered through Sephiroth's mind. Mother had been right, he observed the human girl from above. His eyes were bloodshot and his sliver hair was a tangled mass. He had only left his high perch a few times. Days and turned into weeks and now he saw his target. For a brief moment he allowed his eyes to close, envisioning running his sword through her. He knew exactly the sound the blade would make. A smile crept across his face as he mentally felt her flesh part of the Masamune as he drove it through her body, using all of his weight. This was something he had done hundreds of times before, but now it would be enjoyable. Yes, it still was a task that had to be completed, but it was a task he wanted. He wanted to make Mother happy and reclaim the planet and Promised Land for her. He was her champion and would be loath to give up that title. In the weeks he had waited Mother had spoken with him. Telling him of the past, how the humans had used magic to drive the Ancients to insanity. She was all that had survived because she was stronger than the rest.

"_Now Sephiroth, strike now!"_ Jenova commanded and Sephiroth, ever the obedient soldier, leaped from his perch.

(Pan camera down)

"Aeris," Cloud shouted when he caught sight of the kneeling figure. Tifa knew something was wrong. Aeris wore a smile, but she was not happy. Then she heard it. The first foreign sound of the night. A light, higher pitched, woosh that sounded so familiar. It could not be? But it had to be, fighting at his side of years had trained her ears to pick up the voice of the masamune. Without thinking Tifa launched forward, bounding from step to step. She had to stop him, for Zack Fair. Why would he want to kill Aeris? Tifa's eyes darted up as she to leaped from the last stone pillar that served as step to the alter. Using all of her strength and speed, Tifa pushed Aeris out of the line of Sephiroth's sword. It was not time for Fair's girlfriend to join him in the Lifestream. Tifa was sure that Zack would have wanted her to keep living, even without him. That was just the kind of guy that Zack Fair was.

Tifa had sacrificed herself to save Aeris. Had she ever put herself intentionally in harms way to save anyone before? She could not remember a time. Her jobs as a Soldier had been to eliminate targets, not protect them. Turks protected Shinra officials, not Soldiers. Pain exploded through her lungs and belly. Sephiroth had impaled her through the side, nicking a lung in the processes. Death was not going to be quick, but at least Aeris was saved. She had not felt the legendary sword enter her body, but when Sephiroth went to pull it out it was pure agony. Tifa could not hold back the moan and blood speckled cough. Breathing was growing more difficult by the second, which meant that blood had to be pooling into her lung. Tifa rolled on her back to look up at Sephiroth.

"Fair's girlfriend," she muttered, coughing up more blood. The hole in her side, gurgled, spewing air bubbles and blood. Sephiroth, knelt at her side, eyes wild. Large hands pressed on the wound he had made. In the back of his mind, Jenova was screeching, trying to get him to leave but he could not. He had stabbed Tifa, he had killed her. "S-seph," she began to sputter, fighting off the numbness that was creeping through her body; pain meant she was still alive, numbness meant death. "C-child... o-o-ours."

"We have a child?" he asked, searching her armlets and gloves for her Full Cure materia. "Full Cure?"

"S-sp-spoiled," she gurgled. "D-don-don't kn-know if c-child … a-alive." Sephiroth cursed, everything else forgotten as he took the Restore materia that she did have and began to cast it. The group stood and watched Sephiroth fight to heal Tifa, too shocked to move. Aeris had been knocked unconscious by the shove that Tifa had given her. No one dared move. They could only watch in awe and horror as Sephiroth tried desperately to save Tifa's life. "F-find o-our ...child," muttered Tifa as her eyes closed. Consciousness slipped away. The last sound she remembered was a barely human scream from Sephiroth. The Restore materia had closed up the hole in her lung but she had lost a great deal of blood. Sephiroth cradled her to him and took off, all previous thoughts and plans erased from his mind.

* * *

-of disc one. :) Gotcha! As promised, it's going to be smooshed down here but I'm posting the outline that I actually made. So you can see just where I thought this was going to go. These last two chapter have been shorter than what I wanted, but I should be able to pick it up again.

Chapter 28 (Chapter 29 in fic)

→ Tifa on boat, group not a fan of → Sephiroth in Nibelhiem, he learns about the reunion protocol → Back to Costa where Tifa learns about Hojo clones

Chapter 29: Gold Saucer Round 1

→ Sephiroth Slaughters looking for keystone but cannot touch it → (skipping Corel) Date, Cait Sith, blamed for slaughters → Prison, Tifa kills for buggy (others "do not know")

Chapter 30: Smutty Reunion

→ Gongaga and Turks!:Cosmo Canyon where Tifa sees Sephiroth while Nanaki is in Gi Cave:he tells her about Keystone and cloaked men

Chapter 31: The Past

→ Nibelhiem flashback :Present day Nibelhiem:Tifa heads back to Gold Saucer alone because of the hate

Chapter 32: Useless Fluff

→ Rocket town/Cloud misses Tifa/ Tiny Bronco → Sephiroth loves mother

Chapter 33: Gold Saucer Round 2

→ Tifa wins keystone/heads towards Temple of Ancients in boat/Is blown off course to Mideel/Banora/Enter Hollander/Genesis/Angeal?/Learns that she may have children in Modeohiem

Chapter 34: Temple of the Ancients

→ Game events only Tifa loses it/Forgotten Capitol Forest

Chapter 35: End of Disc One

→ Sephiroth learns he and Tifa have kids/Tifa dies?/end fic?


End file.
